Assad: Military carrying out 'heroic acts'

In interview with national TV station, Syria's president discusses Turkish opposition, Iranian support. Ignores massacres and claims he is still at presidential palace

Roi Kais|Published: 08.29.12 , 11:12

On the day when the world's media reported on yet another massacre in Syria, a Syrian national television channel broadcast an interview with Syrian President Bashar Assad which took place at the presidential palace.

"We are fighting a regional and global campaign that must be resolved," he said. "We are making progress and practically speaking, the situation is getting better, but nothing has been decided."

Related stories:

Opposition groups in Syria said Tuesday that up to 400 bodies had been found in the town of Daraya, south-west of the capital Damascus, in what appears to be the worst single massacre by government forces in the country's 17-month-old civil war, the Guardian newspaper reported.

Assad on Syrian TV

For his part, Assad seems calm and defined the Syrian military's actions as "heroic acts." The interviewer wondered whether the president should appear on television on a daily basis in order to quash rumors of his whereabouts and asked Assad where he was. Assad laughingly responded: "I'm with you in Damascus, at the presidential palace."

During the interview the president criticized the Turkish leadership for adopting a hard line against him and wondered: "Should we fall back because of the lack of restraint shown by some of Turkey's senior officials?"

He then explained that Syria was looking at its ties with the Turkish people "who stood by it during the crisis and did not get swept away in spite of the media surge." He was most likely reacting to the aid given to the rebels.

During the interview Assad appealed to the Syrian people: "The fate of Syria is in your hands." He also addressed the issue of defection of senior regime officials noting: "The good national man does not flee his country. Practically speaking, this is a positive process as it serves as self purification of the state first and homeland in general."

Assad also admitted that "many mistakes were made," but qualified his statement by adding that is spite of the mistakes there is a strong link between Syria's policies and the ideology of the Syrian people.

Responding to reports on links with Iran and its involvement in the fighting, Assad sought to clarify that Syria did not need a green light – "either from its allies or enemies with regards to local, national or sovereignty issues."