Assad: Iran deal is proof that we must not compromise
Syrian president gives speech praising Iran's nuclear agreement, attacking Western hypocrisy, and signaling that the four-year civil war is not about to end n a compromise.
Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday praised Iran for its agreement with world powers and attacked the West for its "hypocritical" approach to the civil war that has ravaged his country for four years.
"The nations that are devoted to their rights must win," said the embattled Syrian leader in his first public address in months. "Iran is the best proof for this in terms of its achievements in the nuclear department."
Assad described the nuclear agreement as a great victory for Iran. "This is a country that was under siege for three decades and was at war for eight years, in which its infrastructure was destroyed, and despite this, it is the first in the Islamic world in terms of nuclear production and industry."
The Syrian president also said that Western nations define events as terrorism when they are the target, but call them liberty and revolution when they affect its enemies.
"When the criteria are consistent and the revolutionaries are considered terrorists, and the opposition forces are considered little collaborators, then the West will speak clearly," he said. "Or to the contrary, when they allow the opposition in their nations to take up arms and fight, then we will believe them."
Assad added that "the West's goal today is only to manage terror and not eradicate it. What they do has caused terror to grow and has not defeated it."
Assad also praised Hezbollah for its support in Syria, but emphasized that no one could replace Syria's army in the fighting.
Loss of territory
Assad acknowledged that his generals have had to move forces from one front to another in order to protect areas that are militarily, politically or economically important. He added that the loss of some areas to insurgents has led to "frustration" among Syrians.
"Sometimes, in some circumstances, we are forced to give up areas to move those forces to the areas that we want to hold onto," he said. "We must define the important regions that the armed forces hold onto so it doesn't allow the collapse of the rest of the areas."
Syrian forces have suffered several setbacks since March, including the loss of the northwestern city of Idlib, the capital of a province that borders Turkey. In May the government lost the historic central town of Palmyra to IS extremists, who also captured parts of the northeastern city of Hassakeh.
Assad tried to justify the loss of some areas, including Idlib. Assad-allied forces, including fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iranian advisers, control a little less than half of Syria's 185,000 square kilometers (71,400 square miles).
"It was necessary to specify critical areas for our armed forces to hang on to," Assad said. "Concern for our soldiers forces us to let go of some areas."
"When we concentrate our forces in an important area, what happens is that we bring reinforcements but this is usually at the expense of other areas," Assad said. "Sometimes we have to abandon some areas in order to transfer these forces to the area that we want to hold."
Assad said increased support from states backing the rebels – including Turkey – was the reason for recent setbacks that had created "a state of despair" among Syrians. Syria is in a war funded by the richest and most powerful states, he said.
But Assad struck a defiant tone, saying there would be no compromise solutions, and he dismissed the view that Syria was heading towards partition into areas run separately by the Damascus government and armed groups fighting him.
"Everything is available (for the army), but there is a shortfall in human capacity," Assad said. "Despite that, I don't want to give a dark image that hostile media will use to say that the president is saying that people are not joining the army."
Assad said that in recent months, mostly in April and May, the number of people joining the army has increased. He added: "Every inch of Syria is precious."
"We are not collapsing. We are steadfast and will achieve victory," said Assad, who was interrupted several times by applause. "Defeat does not exist in the dictionary of the Syrian Arab army."
Assad's government announced a general amnesty for army deserters and draft dodgers Saturday. There are thousands of army deserters in and outside Syria, many of whom have gone on to fight with rebels. Many young men have fled the country to avoid compulsory military conscription.
Assad has issued similar amnesties for criminals, but has not released any of the thousands of political prisoners believed to be in Syria's prisons.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights recently reported that at least 49,100 troops and 32,500 pro-government gunmen have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011.
The group, which gathers information from activists inside Syria, says there are some 70,000 draft dodgers in government-controlled areas alone.
Last month, Syria's prime minister called on young men to fulfill their mandatory military service obligation, promising better pay for troops on the front lines as well as one hot meal a day.
Assad said his government did not want war, "but when it was imposed on us, the Syrian Arab army repelled the terrorists everywhere."
The US has begun training some moderate rebels who oppose Assad, but Islamic extremist groups have had the most success against his forces. The Islamic State group holds about a third of Syria and neighboring Iraq in its self-declared "caliphate."
Speaking about political dialogue, Assad said any initiative that is not based on fighting "terrorism" will be "hollow" and "meaningless."
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
