Bashar al-Assad vows to retake whole of Syria by force
Bashar al-Assad has vowed to retake whole the of Syria by force despite ceasefire attempts by diplom.
Bashar al-Assad has been resisting international calls to step down (EPA) to create the right atmosphere for peace talks.
The US has backed anti-government rebels and more than a dozen countries are involved in the raging civil war.
Assad
On this back drop, Bashar al-Assad want his forces have to retake the whole of Syria by force, even as diplomats continue increasingly frail attempts to secure a lasting ceasefire.
In a rare interview, the Syrian President told the AFP news agency that he realised that the involvement of regional and international forces “means that the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price”.
He styled his opponents as “terrorists”, although Syrian forces have mainly been fighting anti-government rebels including the Free Syrian Army, who were initially supported and trained by the US.
Isis holds swathes of the country, as does a coalition of other Islamist groups including the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra.
Assad told AFP his forces would fight to retake territory “without hesitation”, despite ongoing attempts at a fragile peace process.
He was speaking shortly before diplomats at the current Syria peace talks in Munich agreed a temporary “cessation of hostilities” in Syria's civil war within a week, although efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire fell short.
The deal appeared to be the result of a compromise between the US, which had wanted an immediate stop to fighting, and Russia, which had proposed a ceasefire to start on 1 March.
“The real test is whether or not all the parties honour those commitments and implement them,” John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, said in the early hours of Friday morning.
Discussions between the Syrian regime and anti-government rebels are due to re-start on 25 February after breaking down rapidly last month as Assad’s military made significant advances backed by Russian air strikes.
In recent weeks, government forces have closed in on Aleppo, Syria's largest city, and are now targeting the Free Syrian Army’s last remaining supply line.
Assad’s troops are also moving towards the north-eastern city of Idlib, which is held by Jaysh al-Fatah (Army of Conquest), the Islamist coalition including the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa.
Civilians react following a reported Syrian regime air strike in a rebel-controlled area in Aleppo
They are internationally recognised as terrorist groups and have not been invited to peace talks, but the US-led alliance has been at loggerheads with Syria, Russia and Iran over the inclusion of "moderate" rebels.
Russia’s air strikes, which started in September at Assad’s request, have been accused of “indiscriminately” targeting residential areas and killing countless civilians, while the US-led coalition’s bombing has concentrated on Isis territory.
The West considers Assad’s resignation as the key and perhaps only way to stop the Syrian war, but he has doggedly refused to go.
David Cameron has repeatedly said the Syrian President has no place in the country’s future and has called for peaceful transition to a new government, in line with Barack Obama, Francois Hollande and other leaders in the US-led international coalition.
In a rare interview, the Syrian President told the AFP news agency that he realised that the involvement of regional and international forces “means that the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price”.
He styled his opponents as “terrorists”, although Syrian forces have mainly been fighting anti-government rebels including the Free Syrian Army, who were initially supported and trained by the US.
Isis holds swathes of the country, as does a coalition of other Islamist groups including the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra.
Assad told AFP his forces would fight to retake territory “without hesitation”, despite ongoing attempts at a fragile peace process.
He was speaking shortly before diplomats at the current Syria peace talks in Munich agreed a temporary “cessation of hostilities” in Syria's civil war within a week, although efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire fell short.
The deal appeared to be the result of a compromise between the US, which had wanted an immediate stop to fighting, and Russia, which had proposed a ceasefire to start on 1 March.
“The real test is whether or not all the parties honour those commitments and implement them,” John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, said in the early hours of Friday morning.
Discussions between the Syrian regime and anti-government rebels are due to re-start on 25 February after breaking down rapidly last month as Assad’s military made significant advances backed by Russian air strikes.
In recent weeks, government forces have closed in on Aleppo, Syria's largest city, and are now targeting the Free Syrian Army’s last remaining supply line.
Assad’s troops are also moving towards the north-eastern city of Idlib, which is held by Jaysh al-Fatah (Army of Conquest), the Islamist coalition including the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa.
Civilians react following a reported Syrian regime air strike in a rebel-controlled area in Aleppo
They are internationally recognised as terrorist groups and have not been invited to peace talks, but the US-led alliance has been at loggerheads with Syria, Russia and Iran over the inclusion of "moderate" rebels.
Russia’s air strikes, which started in September at Assad’s request, have been accused of “indiscriminately” targeting residential areas and killing countless civilians, while the US-led coalition’s bombing has concentrated on Isis territory.
The West considers Assad’s resignation as the key and perhaps only way to stop the Syrian war, but he has doggedly refused to go.
David Cameron has repeatedly said the Syrian President has no place in the country’s future and has called for peaceful transition to a new government, in line with Barack Obama, Francois Hollande and other leaders in the US-led international coalition.
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