PRESIDENT AL-ASSAD: THE SYRIANS ALONE CAN END THE CRISIS, ONLY SOLUTION TO TERRORISM IS STRIKING WITH AN IRON FIST
Aug 05, 2013
Damascus, (SANA)- President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday shared an
Iftar banquet with Syrian social figures including political party
representatives, officials , independent figures, Muslim and Christian
religious figures, representatives of unions and syndicates, and
civil society figures.
President expressed pleasure to meet “this great national
gathering…where we meet to renew the vow to defend the homeland
and face the challenges no matter how big with more resolve and
determination.”
“We meet today to remember that there are men who sacrificed their
lives to keep the homeland proud and the word of right high…We meet
in solidarity with their families who lost those who are most precious
to them…and with the needy people who are facing the accumulative
burdens of life with patience and faith,” the President added.
20130805-143302.jpgHe pointed out that the meeting aims to stress that
“the homeland doesn’t abandon its sons during misfortunes, but rather
stands by them with all moral and material support.”
The President highlighted the elevated meanings of Ramadan, saying
it is “a month of forgiveness, mercy, communication, sacrifice,
redemption and jihad in its correct meaning; that is jihad of work,
accomplishing, creating and amity. To sum up, it’s a month of reforming
the man as soul and body.”
He likened the soul and body to the “individual” and the “society”
as neither of them can be reformed without the other.
“In order for us to reform the society, we must have dialogue among
its individuals and spectra, and in order for this dialogue to be
useful and fruitful with a meaning and an essence, it must be an
honest and transparent dialogue,” President al-Assad stressed.
He reiterated the need for an open and transparent dialogue without
compliments if one wants to talk about what is happening in the
homeland; the reasons and the proposed solutions. “As far as the
society is concerned, compliments in these circumstances would be like
an ostrich burying its head in the sand in order not to see what is
going on around it.”
“Burying the head in the sand for the society now means burying the
homeland in the sand,” President al-Assad said.
20130805-143332.jpg
He noted that talking openly now is easier than it was two years ago
when many of the Syrians were deceived and fell in the trap of trying
to understand what was going on.
He however said that the most pressing question that has been raised
since the first days or probably the first hours of the crisis is
“when does the crisis end?”
“We however can’t determine when it ends if we are unable to first
determine who ends it. This means that we have to know who is the one
responsible for ending it and how, and then comes the question why,”
the President added.
He stressed that it is only the Syrians themselves who can end the
crisis. “Although the external factors are strong and influential- and
we all know this truth- but the external role, no matter how strong,
has a helping or hindering effect; it could either accelerate the
solution or prolong the crisis. As we repeatedly said, this external
role is contingent on the external gaps we have in Syria.”
“When we put all external factors aside and we say that there are
terrorists, thieves and mercenaries who are killing for money and
there are Syrian extremists …is this then an external produce?” the
President asked, only to answer that this is the production of the
Syrian society, citing it as one of those gaps.
20130805-143348.jpg
He also cited “the in-between nationalism” among these gaps, stressing
that one can be in-between when it comes to politics as he can choose
any of many political categories. “However, when it comes to the
homeland, there is only white when you are with the homeland and
black when you are against the homeland.”
The President went on saying that this “in-between nationalism”,
despite being the output of lack of knowledge and awareness, has
created an incubator of chaos and terrorism “which has unleashed
beasts into the field…and those beasts have in turn created their
own incubators…and started to multiply and unleash other beasts
and import their brethren form across the homeland’s border.”
President al-Assad highlighted the importance of being one hand;
the white against the black, stressing that then “I’m sure without
any hesitation and without exaggeration that we will be easily
able…despite this high price and all the blood that has been shed,
to come out of this crisis.”
He affirmed that there can be no exclusion of any means when the goal
is to emerge from a domestic crisis that negatively affects everybody,
adding that this is the approach that Syria has followed since the
start of the crisis.
The President noted that all the suggestions and proposals made at
the beginning of the crisis to change certain laws and amend certain
articles in the constitution have been met despite the fact that some
of those suggestions were put forth in bad faith and with malice.
20130805-143413.jpg”Yet, we went ahead with the solution based on this
idea that as a state we can’t say that we will not walk the path of
a solution if there are people in Syria who believe that this would
lead to improving the situation,” he added.
President al-Assad also stressed that Syria has positively responded
to all external initiates, always taking into consideration the Syrian
sovereignty, despite knowing in advance “the real intentions” behind
those initiatives.
He highlighted how all of those initiatives starting with the Arab
initiative and going through that of Kofi Annan and Geneva initiative
with Lakhdar Brahimi were intentionally foiled by those same sides.
The President lashed at those who claim to be representatives of the
Syrian people while they are calling for foreign intervention at the
same time, stressing that those do not even represent themselves but
only the countries which have funded and created them and give them
orders on what to do and what not to do.
“When I have the support of the people, I don’t need the support of
anyone else, because the people are the strongest,” said President
al-Assad, lashing out at those who call for foreign support claiming
that the army is killing the people.
He noted that any army in the world, when it tries to attack or kill
the people, would immediately fall down because the army is made of
the society and can never be exported or manufactured in a factory.
The President stressed that Syria’s belief in the political work was
what made it deal with the external initiatives despite being aware
of the “real intentions” behind them.
He however noted that the political work should have honest intentions
behind its, which is the second reason for which Syria found it
necessary to be flexible towards those initiatives in order “to
unveil the truth that has been absent from the mind and vision of
some of the Syrians who believed that political work is equivalent
to political solution.”
20130805-143440.jpg
“The political work is different from the solution,” said the
President, adding that the solution is more inclusive and the political
work might be helpful to the solution.
He highlighted that the Syrian flexibility has helped Syria’s friends
in any place in the world, whether they are individuals, parties or
countries, to have the ability to defend Syria in the various forums.
The President pointed out that as far as those initiatives were
concerned, the tangible facts and information did not indicate chances
for success “because the other site, the hostile side, did not want
a political solution.”
Therefore, he said, Syria’s response to the external initiatives led
to unmasking those countries, particularly some known Arab states,
which would feel frustrated and hysterical whenever Syria responded
to any initiative or proposal.
The President said that “Consequently it became obvious that those who
used to say that the Syrian state had adopted the security solution
were the ones who have adopted the terrorist approach only for the
sake of destroying Syria.”
“I don’t believe that any reasonable man believes that terrorism can
be handled by means of politics. Politics may play a role in dealing
with terrorism before it emerges…However, when terrorism emerges
and sabotage, killing and destruction start and spread, there can be
no solution when dealing with terrorism except that of striking with
an iron fist,” President al-Assad said.
20130805-143502.jpg”Terrorism should be hit in order for politics
to move well…This doesn’t mean that there cann’t be a parallel
track…If we are striking terrorism and there is a political track
running parallel, then there is no problem as long as this is not
used as an excuse to stop combating terrorism,” he added.
President al-Assad referred to the international situation where he
said there are countries that are sincere and firm on their stand
based on their principles that go in line with their interests, and
there are antagonistic imperialistic countries that have gone astray
because they miscalculated things having relied on agents that gave
them wrong information.
He stressed that any solution should b based on the facts on the
ground, noting that most of the regional and Arab countries and others
however have changed their view towards the reality on the ground
after two and a half hours, with things becoming clearer to them,
with the exception of those few countries with the wahhabi thinking
that are going on with the shedding of the Syrian blood.
On the political level, President al-Assad said there is in Syria a
national opposition which has hurled itself since the first days into
the political and national element and a non-national opposition that
has had no goal but that of making gains.
He also referred to a third form of opposition that tried “to
blackmail us at the start of the crisis under the title that “we stop
the demonstrations and you giving us positions in the state and at
the government.”
That opposition, the President added, had no real relationship with
the demonstrations, with some of them having directly or indirectly
received money from Gulf states and later started to favor the gunmen
and express different views whenever the internal security and military
situation on the ground or the international situation would change.
Despite all the Syrian flexibility towards all what has been
proposed internally and externally, the President said, things were
in continuous escalation and massacres started to claim the Syrians’
lives, with the main issue was that “for Syria to be or not to be.”
He stressed that the titles have become obvious with the confrontation
being that between the homeland and its enemies, between the army
and the terrorists and between the state and the outlaws, adding that
any other title was not acceptable.
“All means were experimented and only one choice was left which
is to defend ourselves and our country with our own hands,” said
the President, adding that in this case everybody would naturally
look towards the armed forces and hope that this institution could
completely end this situation and wish that every Syrian soldier was
a mighty person that can crush the terrorists.
The President affirmed that what the armed forces have done is “next
to impossible”, noting that this institution designed its combat
structure, tactics, strategies and armament in a way to fight a
certain type of battle with the Israeli enemy.
He added that the military institution has suddenly found itself face
to face with something completely different to anything known by it
or any country or army in the modern world.
20130805-143530.jpg
“Therefore, [the military institution] had to do a swift adjustment
process…yet, the armed forces succeeded in doing so with great
dexterity and brilliant success and have been able to make great
achievements in this regard,’ said President al-Assad.
He added that the armed forces have achieved over the past two years
a high rate of feats that is almost difficult to believe whether in
terms of heroes, courageous acts and the level of sacrifice.
President al-Assad went on saying that “If we want to assess the
achievements on the Syrian map, it is natural to see a disparity
between one region and another as many factors play their role in
the battle.”
He referred to the factors related to the quality of the soldiers and
officers in a certain formation and those related to the environment
regarding the place, in addition to the technical military factors.
The President however cited the popular factor as the most important
among all other factors which affect any achievement.
“Before the crisis, it was said that the resistance in Lebanon achieved
victory, and they were talking about the arms and the tactic and all
these things, but I was saying to them that the resistance achieved
victory because of its people…Now we see this fact in Syria,”
the President said.
The President pointed out that the popular embracement of the armed
forces has been there since the very first days and is on the increase,
highlighting the great role this kind of moral support for the fighter
plays in any battle.
He however noted that the fact that there have been better achievements
in some areas over others is because practical support was added
to the moral support in these areas, which enabled the armed forces
personnel to accomplish their tasks more distinctively.
President al-Assad clarified that the war which the Syrian army
is facing is a guerrilla war which is known to be among the most
difficult and dangerous of wars.
“However, there is one war that outdoes the guerilla war and that
is the popular war, and this popular war is that of having the army
alongside the citizens. And this is what has happed and what we have
succeeded in so far,” he added.
The President pointed out that although it is true that the war on
Syria is being waged in the media and the social websites and even in
the society, but settling the crisis can only be done in the field. He
added that the economic suffering and the deteriorated services
and all the daily affairs which the Syrians are suffering from are
connected with the security situation, and the only solution to that
is fighting terrorism. “Therefore, if we succeed in this popular war,
and if there will be greater contribution in the rest of the areas,
then I can say that the solution will be easier and Syria will be
in months able to get out of the crisis and eliminate terrorism,”
said President al-Assad. He affirmed that this popular war started
on the more than a year to which the Syrian people have contributed
being self-motivated and not responding to any calls. The President
reiterated that unifying the army and the people to eliminate the
terrorists is the only way “end the battle, turn the table on the
others and restore security and stability to Syria which was an example
of security and stability not only on the Arab level or the Middle
East level, but on the level of the world.” President al-Assad said
that while talking in the month of tolerance, Syria will continue with
this approach of tolerance along with striking terrorism. He however
made it clear that tolerance will be with those who were mislead and
not those who committed acts of killing, shedding blood and other
terrorist acts, adding that the Syrian state has proved itself to be
embracing all the Syrians regardless of their political affiliations,
and that its credibility was further confirmed with increasing numbers
of people turning themselves in to the authorities and having their
situation settled.
“We are in the month of good things…and if we want good things we
should seek it…and when we seek it we should know where and how to
do this and not seek in the wrong place,” said President al-Assad,
noting that good things will not come to the Syrians from the Arab
and regional countries which claim “deep concern for each city and
small village in Syria while they are very assured with the situation
of Jerusalem and its people’s future in the Israeli laps.”
The President added that good things will neither come from “those
countries which are very zealous about democracy…and want to help
us in this regard while they deny their peoples the minimum of human
rights.”
He stressed that those countries will indeed go down in history as they
want, but they will do so under the title of killing, destruction and
backwardness because “this is what these countries have had throughout
their history and this is the only thing they can offer humanity.”
“We will not get goodness from the people with obscurantist thinking
which was established by the wahhabis with blood and killing and
politicized by the Muslim Brotherhood by means of hypocrisy, lying
and deception,” the President said.
He added that this kind of thinking was the first that drove the wedge
between Arabism and Islam and between the Muslim and the Muslim and
the Muslim and the Christian, and it was what shifted the conflict
from an Arabic-Israeli one to an Arab-Arab one.
The President called those people with this thinking as the
“neo-Islamists” whom the West is using to serve Israel.
He stressed that Syria will get good things from all honest people
who has stood by it in various areas in the world, those who raised
the Syrian flag and supported the Syrian army in its battle against
terrorism.
“We will get good things from you the Syrians who are committed to
your homeland and religion…We will get good things from those heroes
who are defending their homeland and people…and form our martyrs,”
the President said.
He concluded by wishing that by next Ramadan, Syria will have recovered
and security and stability will have been restored to it.
English Bulletin