Damascus, (SANA) –
President Bashar al-Assad gave a speech to Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Following is the full text of the
speech;
Interviewer: Why did Syria agree
to the Russian initiative which proposes handing over its chemical weapons to
the international community? Why so rapidly?
President al-Assad: Over 10 years
ago, Syria presented the UN with a proposal for a WMD-Free Middle East; this was
because the region is turbulent and has been immersed in wars for decades. Thus
removing unconventional weapons would be rational in order to enhance stability,
at that particular time the U.S hindered the proposal.
Firstly, in principle we strive for peace and
stability therefore we do not perceive the existence of WMD’s in the Middle East
to have any positive effect. Secondly, in relation to current developments,
Syria as a state genuinely seeks to avert another war of lunacy on itself and
countries in the region, contrary to the efforts of warmongers in the U.S who
seek to inflame a regional war. We continue to pay the price of U.S wars, be it
in geographically distant Afghanistan or neighbouring Iraq. We believe that a
war on Syria shall be destructive to the region and embroil it in a quagmire of
instability for decades or generations to come. Thirdly, and most remarkably,
what was most encouraging was the Russian initiative itself, without which we
would not have been able to pursue this path.
Our relations with Russia are founded on trust
which grew during the crisis throughout the last two and a half years. The fact
that Russia has proven itself to have an insight into events in the region with
high credibility as a reliable major power encouraged Syria to work towards
signing the Chemical Weapons Convention.