Abdul Karim Ali Says Syria Safest Place for its Citizens, Assad Preparing Initiative Involving all-Party Dialogue

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali announced on Saturday that President Bashar Assad is setting up a plan to initiate a national dialogue between all factions of the country, expressing that Syria will always be the safest place for its people.

“Syria is the only country that cares for preserving its people's dignity,” Ali said after meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri.

"Syrian authorities and bodies are striving to resist to attempts that aim at blowing up the crisis,” he announced.

The Syrian ambassador explained :“Since the beginning of the conflict Syria was aware of the forces involved in sparking it and that aim at weakening the country’s role”.

Ali said that Syrian President Bashar Assad is working on an initiative that involves a dialogue between all factions in the country, stressing on the need to find a way to deal with the social problems of refugees and displaced who were forced to leave their villages due to “the criminal activities of gunmen that do not respect any religious, ethical or moral values”.

"Regional and European nations in addition to the United States are sponsoring and arming gunmen of different nationalities and facilitating their entrance into Syria,” he said.

The ambassador urged Syria's refugees in Lebanon to cooperate with their country's diplomats and the Lebanese authorities, warning them against getting dragged into plans that target the security in both nations.

"We call on the Lebanese to avoid politicizing and blackmailing this delicate issue,” Ali said, remarking that Syria was always available and hospitable when Lebanon and other countries in the region were going through crises.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had announced that the number of Syrians and Palestinians that have fled Syria to Lebanon since the eruption of the war in 2011 has reached 212,000.