ADDOUNIA TV (Syria), AL ARABIYA (UAE), LE MONDE (France)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the situation in Syria is getting “better,” although his government needs more time to “win the battle” against rebels trying to overthrow him.
Al-Assad was speaking in an exclusive interview with the Syrian pro-government TV station Addounia, which will be broadcast Wednesday night; however, excerpts were released this morning (with English subtitles):
Attempting to quell rumors of his whereabouts since the July bombing that killed four of his top regime officials, Assad asserted he was speaking from the presidential palace in Damascus.
Assad also dismissed the prospect of a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone: “It will not happen and even the foreign countries that are against us know it’s not possible.”
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and France’s President François Hollande are spearheading the proposal for a buffer zone.
Hollande declared Monday that he would recognize a provisional Syrian government as soon as it has been established, and urged rebel leaders to try to do so, reports Le Monde.
Al-Assad’s comments come as fighting continues in Damascus and Syria’s second-city Aleppo. Opposition groups on Tuesday told reporters they had found up to 400 bodies in the town of Daraya, Al Arabiya reports, in what appears to be the worst massacre since fighting broke out in the country 17 months ago. The Syrian government is in-turn blaming rebels and terrorists for carrying out the massacre.
