Syrian President al-Assad addresses nation after weeks of protests

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BNO NEWS) ? Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday addressed the citizens of Syria and said that the recent events in the country are a conspiracy against national unity.

?It doesn?t require much analysis, based on what we heard from others and witnessed in the media, to prove that there is indeed a conspiracy,? said Assad. ?Every rumor you heard about the President, his family, and his work is absolutely groundless.?

The Syrian leader also blamed the ongoing unrest on ?vandals? at the service of ?external political positions? which are attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of the Middle Eastern country but acknowledged that there are also concerned citizens demanding better services and livelihoods.

?We need to differentiate between those people, and others who were involved in destruction. The latter are a small group. It is true that they made an impact; they tried to manipulate others. They tried to manipulate the good majority of the Syrian people in order to achieve different purposes,? added the president.

According to Assad, he has met with many representatives of the demonstrators and listened to their concerns. He vowed to introduce rightful demands but rejected the spreading of chaos, the breaking of laws, and harming of public interests.

?The delegations I met with were from all sectors of society and all religions as well,? said Assad. ?This is one of the duties of the state towards its citizens; where it should work tirelessly in order to meet those demands to the best of its capacities.?

The Syrian president also announced that more than 64,400 people are wanted for various criminal cases, saying that many of them escaped custody at the beginning of the unrest and have been ?instigating? citizens and kill armed forces service members.

?In terms of our security and stability, we have paid a heavy price. What happened was an unprecedented ordeal that overshadowed our country and led to a situation of distress, confusion, and frustration,? added Assad. ?This was due to riots, the killing of innocents, terrorizing the population, and sabotaging both public and private property.?

The European Union deplored that the Syrian authorities did not respond to the calls to immediately stop the violence and engage in meaningful reforms. The EU labeled the current situation in Syria as a threat to internal and regional stability.

Despite the claims of the Syrian government, the EU, the United Nations and other international agencies have reported the killing of innocent protesters due to the violent crackdown on demonstration by security personnel.

?The EU calls for an independent, effective and transparent investigation as requested by the UN to hold those responsible for the violence to account;? said the EU in a statement. ?The current crisis can only be settled through a political process:?

Human rights activists say more than 1,400 Syrians have been killed and thousands more have been detained since the unrest began in mid-March. Pro-democracy demonstrations have continued across the country, which has been ruled by the Baath Party since 1963. Protesters are demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, who took over from his father in 2000.

Source: http://www.headlinerwatch.com/23657/syrian-president-alassad-addresses-nation-weeks-protests.htm

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