Assad Vows to Declare Victory Soon, Slams Arab League for ‘Spreading Sectarian Divisions’
Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday accused foreign parties of seeking to destabilize Syria but stressed that he would not step down over increased demonstrations against him.
"We will declare victory soon," he said in a speech at Damascus University broadcast live on state television.
"When I leave this post it will be also based upon the people's wishes," he said in his first speech since he agreed last month to an Arab League plan to halt the government crackdown on dissent.
Assad repeated his claim that a foreign conspiracy is behind the unrest, and he said it was failing.
"Regional and international parties who are trying to destabilize Syria can no longer falsify the facts and events," the embattled leader said.
"They turned to assassinations... with regional and international media coverage," he said. "After all their attempts failed, the role of foreigners emerged."
Assad slammed the Arab League, saying it helped spread sectarian divisions across the country.
"The first parliament in Syria was in 1917. Where were they then?" he asked about monarchies in the Gulf.
He also threw the ball in the opposition’s court saying the regime was ready to engage in dialogue with it. But opposition forces weren’t willing to do so, Assad said.
“We want a national opposition, not an opposition taking orders from foreign sides,” he stressed.
Turning to what he called terrorism, Assad pledged that his government would tackle it with an "iron fist.”
"There can be no let-up for terrorism -- it must be hit with an iron fist," he said. "Our priority now is to regain security which we basked in for decades."
He also said that a referendum will be held in March on a new constitution to replace the current charter which enshrines his Baath party's dominant role.
"After legislation has been drawn up and a constitution... we will call a referendum... (maybe) in the first week of March." he said, adding that it would be followed by a general election.
over 12 years
A dictator's crises management Manual (one size fits all)
Firstly, insist that your country is not "X" ("X" experienced a revolution just before yours). Blame everything on al-Jazeera then close their office in your country. Say that you "support youth" (while your security forces are killing the same young people). Condemn Islamists; start at the bottom rung (Muslim Brotherhood) then work your way straight up to the evil al-Qa'ida. At the beginning (of social unrest), pretend that nothing is going on, and, when you learn of the seriousness of the crisis too late, address your nation at midnight. Warn against sectarianism, tribalism and other 'isms' that get people frightened. Blow up a church and blame Islamists. Announce that your remaining in power is synonymous with stability.
over 12 years
There is more: announce a new government, and then another one. Burn down police stations and blame it on protesters. Insist that all is going fine. Once the situation gets worse, cut all telephone lines and block access to social media. When things get really bad block the internet. Insist that protesters represent only a very small minority of the people. Remind everyone of the last election results. Declare that change is indeed necessary, and promise many cheerful things if young people will just stay at home. Order the Interior Minister to kill the lot, and then fire him for excessive use of force.
over 12 years
The list just goes on and on, and gets funnier and funnier: organise demonstrations in favour of your own regime. Agree to be interviewed by a well-known journalist; Christiane Amanpour will be fine. Forbid protesters' funerals. If Westerners criticise you, denounce their interference, adding that they don't understand the culture of your country. Warn about the economy – young people are destroying their nation – but whatever you do, don't mention the economic state of the nation before the revolution began. And, just in case, reserve a hotel suite for yourself in Saudi Arabia.
over 12 years
Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
over 12 years
...yawn
over 12 years
the local branch of the filthy zionist information war department speaky speaky stupidities about management and crisis as if they understand how much crisis they are in themselves. All their halucinations and stupidities will amount to nothing. Read My Lips as the great Eisenhower once said: Bashar is here to stay, not as a tourist, not as a visitor, but as the only ruler of Syria because he is loved by all patriotic peoples and our glorious resistance. Dream on..... hasta la Vista
over 12 years
Dear friends of your southern friends in the Zionist entity: To install your beloved war loving American and Israeli democracy in Syria you have to kill at first half of the Syrian people which do not want it.
over 12 years
I really feel sorry for this puppet. Inheriting an unwanted position as a dictator from an evil father and brother. It’s obvious that he’s not speaking freely and must continue the farce to please his hardliners from his minority sect and who really are running the country. I wonder how the world will judge the Alawites after this.
over 12 years
i wish bashar is right, he is confirming by this "speech" that the civil war in syria will be bloody and long , more than the civil war his father fabricated in lebanon to assert his regime,i have a strange feeling... i am happy for the syrians to have bashar......perhaps the lebanese shia will have more time to think b4 the opening of the gates of HELL.
over 12 years
I want to tell people like mowaten and mortadella and also Jabal Amel a little story :
A little kid, who grew up in his own village, always happy. One day, a family emerges from another village and start living in the little kid's village. This family had a kid as well, older than our little kid, they were neighbours , the new kid always used to beat up his little kid neighbour, till one day, our little kid grew up to be a man , then his neighbour stopped beating him up because he knows he could get hurt now as well.
over 12 years
This story is like Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon beeing the little kid from his village, and Syria the new kid which is older, and that immigrated into the other kids village, bullying him , for lots of years. Now the real question remains, would you make peace with this neighbour even though you are old men now after all he made you went through till you became a grown up man? i think for my part i wouldnt and anybody as well if you had a little honor left in you, the same story applies to Israel and Lebanon as well, thats why i would like to say to our dear people, those 2 " neighbours can never be considered friends" because they are both this new kid that bullied you for years and years
over 12 years
ow mowaten, dear mowaten, why do you always have the you to demonstrated your extreme foolishness and your undying commitment remain stupid.
over 12 years
@jabalamel 'Read My Lips' is taken from a quote by George Bush Snr. not 'the great' Eisenhower. You undermine your own arguments when you can't even attribute your quotes correctly.
over 12 years
Mowaten irani a ***distinguished*** founding member of the International Association of Certified Idiots (IACI).!
over 12 years
Was anyone else disappointed president Assad didn't backup his speech with visual aides, you know some video footage of "The Greatest Crimes Caught On Tape (BUMBUMBUM!!)" from the 70s, 80s, 90s etc claiming those were undeniable proofs of crimes recently committed by terrorist conspirators in Syria. If Walid Mou3alem was busy with lunching I bet he could have had Ryan Seacrest present, everyone loves Seacrest.
over 12 years
Was anyone else disappointed president Assad didn't backup his speech with visual aides, you know some video footage of "The Greatest Crimes Caught On Tape (BUMBUMBUM!!)" from the 70s, 80s, 90s etc claiming those were undeniable proofs of crimes recently committed by terrorist conspirators in Syria. If Walid Mou3alem was busy with lunching I bet he could have had Ryan Seacrest present, everyone loves Seacrest.
over 12 years
sweat-a-della ***distinguished*** founding member of the International Association of Mentally Challenged (IAMC)
over 12 years
Jabalamel: chairman of the board of the International Association of Hallucinations at Large (IAHL)
over 12 years
fanclub: co-founder and acting CEO of the International Association of Hallucinations at Large (IAHL)
over 12 years
the filthy zionist information war department is now employing a black man ( I am not prejudice really....)with a question mark in his head to halucinate and invent associations that do not exist only in his mind. A new cyber warfare that will fail on deaf ears...... Hasta la Vista
over 12 years
Doesn't Bashar look exactly like Sylvester the cat, seriously, he even has the lisp, he should start all his speeches with "Sufferin' Succotash".. oh and..... Hasta la Android (Vista is buggy).
over 12 years
The post from the regulars are so pathetic...they make me cry and laugh at the same time. I am not sure if they are paid to be that closed minded or if they are just naturally close-minded
over 12 years
mowaten: it's very funny (sad) to hear someone who defends ASSad advocate "free speech" lol
over 12 years
@martadella, you keep denying what Syria has done to Lebanon, by the way it is not the Lebanese army that asked for Syria to enter and clean up the supposedly " mess " THEY CREATED, if you know a bit of lebanon's civil war history, you would know that there is the PLO and there is the PFLP ( popular front of liberation for palestine ) . The PFLP unlike the PLO was a milita that took orders from Syria to create disorder, which it did and then the PLO joined because the palestinian in Lebanon as a whole entered the war. The call for the syrians was a call to enter and clean up the PFLP they created or to stop them. Maybe you dont remember but instead of stopping them they stayed for 30 years, bombing everybody, murdering, emprisonning, and of course stealing from our country's treasury along with its allies in Lebanon ( Jumblat, Berri etc...)
over 12 years
my disney tale as you say, was not to make you cry and empty your kleenex box, it was a moral, some people tend to forget the bad things some did to them when they were still weak, but some dont, and if you've got some honor left in you, you would realise Israel and Syria are not to be trusted or to be considered as friends. I think an armistice would do with all Lebanon's rights regained from both sides of the borders and that they leave us alone.
over 12 years
@ martadella, another thing, instead of mocking and thinking that you are the only one with brains, maybe you should go check your facts, unlike you i am not a traitor, because i do not affiliate to neither Iran, USA, Israel or Syria , but only to Lebanon, and i do not forget ( which is not your case) what all of them did to Lebanon and which i will not forgive or forget. So i ask of you, if you really got something useful to say instead hating and talking nonsense about unreal events or falsify them, please do go back to school ( not the Qawmi or Zionist schools ) but some a bit more credible.
over 12 years
mouwaten: you think you are discussing politics by commenting on people's style of writing...now I understand why you support ASSad, MOOwaten...
over 12 years
To Karim,
Absolutely right, and I love what's said, but please refer to the article when quoting. For other fellow readers, pleae read the whole article (believe me it's woth it) by Robert Fisk titled Bonfire the Dictators, The Independent, Saturday 31 December 2011,
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bonfire-of-the-dictators-6283351.html
over 12 years
Israel has declared its readiness to open the doors for allwaites refugees soon. what does this tell the so called antizionist???????? the masque has fallen and we all know who the zionists are. the alawites . Also Israel is trying its best to keep assad in charge why do you think Europe and the us did not do a thing yet.????? who is the zionist now jabal khamel?its you and your syrian loser who are zionists. the us and their allies are stalling and stalling hoping that assad will bounce back for the sake of the jews. the filthy zionist kiss ass jabal khamel thinks he is hiding behind the dark side. keep fooling yourself you poor sick idiot.
over 12 years
Bashar is SHITTING BRICKS, the guy is terrified and knows well dis days are numbered. Also Hassouni is watching him on tv biting his nails and wondering when will his turn come.
over 12 years
you could the sweat slowly pouring from his face and the fear all over his demeanor. He is a DEAD man walking. And Hassouni is a dead man HIDING!
over 12 years
he will declare victory in some hole very soon
over 12 years
the filthy zionist information war department have see one of the most hatred figures and went into berserk mode.
so they bark, growl, roar, hiss and make all the other filthy zionist sounds and foam is forming on their mouth
over 12 years
the filthy zionist information war department must calm down until saturday because our glorious leader of our glorious resistance will have a speech than, and they will went into berserk mode. even more berserk mode, because they hate nasrallah the most.
if they won't be able to calm down until saturday, they will start having heart and brain attack (which is not such a bad thing)
over 12 years
assad is atoo optimistic, he thinks this will be over soon, it won't be over soon, but in the end he will crush the terrorists.
over 12 years
only despots declare Victories against their own people!
over 12 years
the filthy zionist information war department has explained the situation in occupied palestine after the 2006 war
over 12 years
ASSad long live the civil war may you and your family know misery ,may you lose a memeber of your family and may your wife cry day and night and hold a picture of your child begging to have him/her returned.
over 12 years
hey assad ur shaar his daughter lives in the us with her husband and muallem his brother lives in washington and ur mom had surgery last year in chicago, explain that?
over 12 years
Gabby, you see now what happens when you keep extending the grace period to "ASSad" and his regime? You should have hit the metal when it was hot. The suffering of your bothers in Al Qaida in Syria and the Levant at the hands of "ASSad" and his regime falls on your shoulders. I swear to you that I will pray that God strike you by lighting for this big blunder. I will do the same for Dr. Samir Beyondo.
over 12 years
just look how hard the propaganda employees are working.
Go to H3ll, you and your inglorious resistance lies, nothing but a bunch of fags, criminals, thieves, and kaek sellers....
over 12 years
Glory to our glorious glorious victorous resistance the protector of our people and our land. and shame on those traitors who keep speaking stupidities and halucinations.
over 12 years
the filthy zionist information war department resented from fury to just mumbling
over 12 years
it's like your provoke the dog, and in the beginning he barks loud but later he realizes nothing changes with his barking so he just release several not not so loud sounds and than resent in silence
over 12 years
my grandfather allah yerhamou once told me: you can teach a dog not to bark, but you can never teach m14 to stop barking. may god rest his soul, how true his words are today!
over 12 years
asaad is on his way out, the count down has started and hassouni is next
over 12 years
habal please stop barking and go back to iran
over 12 years
sorry habal you actually stink like a fart
over 12 years
flash forward to year 2212: Jabalamel junior the third is 80 years old sitting in his cool pajamas eating fool when his great grand child comes to him and says" Jiddo jabalamel junior the third, who is hafez assad junior the third? Jabalamel junior the third replies " hafez junior the third is the great grandson of bashar assad whose father was hafez assad, but why do you ask jiddo? my great grandchild replies, Jiddo, there is a woman name marie on naharnet saying assad is on his way out. Jabalamel junior the third utters few words only: it's ok jiddo, her great grand mother used to say the same stupidities.
over 12 years
roflmaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo @ fanclub!!!!!!!!!!
over 12 years
@fanclub: I am not a fun of yours by any means, but that was soooooo funny! thanks for the good laugh man.
over 12 years
@fanclub: you are starting to grow on me with your great sense of humor:)))))
over 12 years
fanclub you are crazy fun:)
over 12 years
@fanclub i want your autograph.....LOL
over 12 years
fanclub: will you marry me????
over 12 years
fanclub i am a fan wink wink
over 12 years
fanclub
rofl
hahahahahahahaha
great
over 12 years
lice mountain I hope you follow your grandfather soon
over 12 years
lol FanBoy now that was funny,but i still want Syria to BURN.
Another speech, same BS!