DAMASCUS, (SANA) – In an interview with Russia's Rossiya 1 TV channel on Sunday, President Bashar al-Assad discussed developments in Syria and the region, Syria's efforts to emerge from the crisis, the dangers and repercussions of any aggression against Syria or interference in its internal affairs, relations with Russia, and western sanctions.
Regarding the likelihood of the west waging an aggression against Syria and the idea that western military action against Syria is preplanned, President al-Assad said that the claims regarding the possibility of a western aggression against Syria is heard from time to time, particularly during crises between Syria and western countries within the past few decades, and that these claims aim at pressuring Syria to change its political stances.
President al-Assad said that Syria takes all possibilities into consideration even if this issue isn't discussed in the media through leaks, noting that when the homeland is threatened in a military or security fashion, then the balance of power – who is stronger and who is weaker – has no value, adding "if you as a country represent a small and weak country and the enemy is big and strong, it's natural to defend the homeland regardless of balance."
He pointed out that others' considerations regarding the scenario of aggression against Syria aren't easy, and that Syria has a unique position in geographic, geopolitical, historic and other terms, as Syria is the meeting place of all or most the cultural, religious, sectarian and ethnic components of the Middle East.
President al-Assad elaborated by saying that Syria is the meeting place of two "tectonic plates" and that any attempt to destabilize these plates will lead to a massive earthquake that damages the entire region and affects the whole world, adding that any mention of such a scenario would be more costly than the world could afford, which is why it seems that the trend is moving towards political, political and economic pressure.
His Excellency said that there is no doubt that that Syria is counting on Russia, primarily because of the historic relations between the two countries and because Russia is a superpower and a permanent Security Council member, pointing out that Syria played an important role since the first days of the crisis and that the two governments were communicating directly, with the Syrian government explaining to Russia the details of the situation based on Syria's importance and influence in terms of the situation in the Middle East and the region.
"Russia knew the dangers of the attempts at foreign interference in Syria, thus Russia played an important role in the international arena, with the most recent action in this regard being the Russian veto at the Security Council," he said, adding that Syria is counting on the Russian stance and continuing support not just in defense of Syria, but also in defense of worldwide stability.
In response to a question on a Communist opposition figure thanking Russia for its veto while others burned Russian flags in Syrian cities, President al-Assad said regarding the first point that any Syrian citizen would have the same response as anyone with the least amount of patriotism would be grateful for Russia's stance at the Security Council, adding that being in the opposition or a loyalist or somewhere in between doesn't mean differing in political issues, as there is no difference in opinion with the opposition regarding Syria's sovereignty and rejection of foreign interference and confronting terrorism; the differences lie in internal issues and political, economic, cultural and other issues.
"Regarding the burning of flags, I don't believe we can put that in the frame of political work as it doesn't represent opposition or anything else. It often represents individual cases that may be spurred from abroad to complete the media image of the big lie being promoted about Syria in foreign media, showing Russia as if it supports a state against the people… this is the supposed media game behind this action," President al-Assad pointed out.
On the subject of who is represented by the opposition, President al-Assad said that such an issue would be more accurate after elections and the emergence of new parties, which would decide which sections of the society the opposition represents.
"We're dealing with everyone; with all the forces on the Syrian arena because we believe that communication with these forces is very important, without specifying who has a popular base and who doesn’t," President al-Assad said, stressing that a more accurate answer can be given after the elections which should take place in February 2012...