Syria's Bashar Assad said in an interview aired Wednesday that his priority is "defeating terrorism" in Syria and urged all political and armed factions in the country to unite in the fight against ‘terrorist groups' with which he refers to Western-backed opposition groups. In an interview with Russian media, Assad also said there can be no political solution for his country's crisis until terrorism is defeated. He singled out the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which has captured about a third of Syrian territory along with large swaths of land in neighboring Iraq, as well as al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, and "some others," without specifying. The government in Damascus has long labelled all armed groups fighting Assad's forces as "terrorists." Assad made no reference to the extreme violence his forces have used on civilian areas during the country's civil war, now in its fifth year, repeating only that some mistakes have been made.
Moscow has been a staunch supporter of Assad throughout the crisis. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said it is impossible to defeat ISIS without cooperating with Damascus. He has urged other nations to follow Russia's example and offer military support to Assad's government. In recent days, Moscow has sent about a half-dozen battle tanks and other weaponry along with military advisers, technicians, security guards and portable housing units to Syria with the apparent goal of setting up an air base near the coastal town of Latakia, an Assad stronghold. U.S. officials have said Moscow is simply trying to prop up Assad and have rejected his participation in the global war on ISIS. In the interview, Assad did not directly address the Russian moves, only praising Moscow as an "independent state" and an "impartial" broker of dialogue between Syrian groups.
He urged the formation of a united front against ISIS, saying the priority of every single Syrian citizen is to be secure. "We, the political parties, the government and the armed groups that fought against the government, we must all unite in the name of defeating terrorism," Assad said. He added he would only give up power if the people ask him to do so, not the United States.
Touching on the Iranian support, Assad said that "Iran supports Syria and the Syrian people. It stands with the Syrian state politically, economically and militarily." "When we say militarily, it doesn't mean - as claimed by some in the Western media - that Iran has sent an army or armed forces to Syria. That is not true," he added.
Along with Iran, Russia explicitly supports the Syrian regime and, according to the opposition groups, uses ISIS threat as a pretext for aiding Assad who is considered responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Despite the calls on Russia to change its stance and help seeking solution, Moscow is not likely to change their policy and stance as the Putin administration vows to increase its military and financial support for the regime.
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