Syrian President Bashar Assad has made a statement in an interview with Khabar TV about his commitment to a political settlement of the crisis in his country.
He underlined that the key element must be the will of the Syrian people. "Any decision of the Syrian people in respect of the future of the country will bind both the government of Syria, and me. The Syrian authorities support any policy measures in the country in parallel with the fight against terrorism,’’ RIA Novosti cites Bashar Assad as saying.
In particular, the President declared that he is ready to relinquish power if it brings peace to the people of his country. "If my dismissal is a solution to the problem I will undoubtedly do it," he said.
However, it is problematic to speak about a political settlement of the conflict today, as there is a threat of terrorism in Syria. "There can’t be any political solution while some states continue to support terrorism,’’ stressed the head of state.
Speaking about the role of Russia, Assad said that Moscow has never tried to impose itself on Damascus. "Russia has never tried to impose anything on us, especially during the crisis," he noted.
In this regard, the President noted the contribution of the Russian Federation in the political settlement of the crisis, stressing that the international conference Geneva-3 didn’t achieve its main goal if the Moscow consultations on Syria are unsuccessful.
Commenting on the ongoing Russian operation, he said that nobody can give an exact answer how long it will last. "The time of the Russian military operations in Syria depend on different factors," Assad said.
