Assad: Syria prepared to negotiate, but not with terrorist organizations
- hace 8 años
Damascus, Dec 11 (EFE).- Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an exclusive interview with EFE in Damascus that his government was willing to negotiate as long as terrorist organizations are not a party to the talks.
"We are ready today to start the negotiations with the opposition. But it depends on the definition of opposition. Opposition, for everyone in this world, doesn't mean militant. There's a big difference between militants, terrorists and opposition," Assad told EFE President Jose Antonio Vera and the head of the Spanish news agency's international desk, Jose Manuel Sanz.
His remarks coincided with an announcement by Syria's main political and armed opposition factions - gathered Thursday in Saudi Arabia - expressing their support for the launching of U.N.-mediated peace talks with representatives of Assad's government.
Those factions also agreed to form a delegation that would represent the opposition in future negotiations aimed at achieving a political solution to the Syrian conflict, which erupted in March 2011.
Asked about his government's willingness to negotiate with the opposition starting Jan. 1, a target date established at a meeting of major world powers - including Russia and Iran - last month in Vienna, Assad said that "since the very beginning of the conflict in Syria, we adopted the dialogue approach with every party that is involved in the Syrian conflict."
But he added that "we've been seeing that some countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United States and some Western countries, wanted the terrorist groups to join these negotiations."
"They want the Syrian government to negotiate with the terrorists, something I don't think anyone would accept in any country."
SHOT LIST: INTERVIEW WITH SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD.
Keywords: efe,interview,bashar assad,syria.
"We are ready today to start the negotiations with the opposition. But it depends on the definition of opposition. Opposition, for everyone in this world, doesn't mean militant. There's a big difference between militants, terrorists and opposition," Assad told EFE President Jose Antonio Vera and the head of the Spanish news agency's international desk, Jose Manuel Sanz.
His remarks coincided with an announcement by Syria's main political and armed opposition factions - gathered Thursday in Saudi Arabia - expressing their support for the launching of U.N.-mediated peace talks with representatives of Assad's government.
Those factions also agreed to form a delegation that would represent the opposition in future negotiations aimed at achieving a political solution to the Syrian conflict, which erupted in March 2011.
Asked about his government's willingness to negotiate with the opposition starting Jan. 1, a target date established at a meeting of major world powers - including Russia and Iran - last month in Vienna, Assad said that "since the very beginning of the conflict in Syria, we adopted the dialogue approach with every party that is involved in the Syrian conflict."
But he added that "we've been seeing that some countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United States and some Western countries, wanted the terrorist groups to join these negotiations."
"They want the Syrian government to negotiate with the terrorists, something I don't think anyone would accept in any country."
SHOT LIST: INTERVIEW WITH SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD.
Keywords: efe,interview,bashar assad,syria.