Al Assad Leader says losing war will mean the end of Syria,

President says he is confident of claiming victory

BEIRUT // Syrian president Bashar Al Assad said there was no “option except victory” in the country’s civil war because his government had been unable to achieve “results” with opposition groups that attended recent peace talks.

He reiterated his goal of total defeat over the insurgents and his rejection of federalism that is sought by Kurdish groups in northern Syria.

“As I said a while ago, we have a great hope which is becoming greater; and this hope is built on confidence, for without confidence there wouldn’t be any hope,” he said.

“In any case, we do not have any other option except victory.

“If we do not win this war, it means that Syria will be deleted from the map.

“We have no choice in facing this war, and that’s why we are confident.

“We are persistent and we are determined.”

The Syrian government views all opposition groups as terrorists with agendas determined by foreign governments including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United States The comments appeared to have been made before United States president Donald Trump accused Mr Al Assad of crossing “many, many lines” with a poison- gas attack carried out on Tuesday.

The Syrian leader made no reference to the chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun in northwest Syria, which killed more than 80 people, including 20 children.

However, the government has strongly denied any role in what many describe as a war crime.

More than six years in to the Syrian conflict, Mr Al Assad appears militarily unassailable in the areas of western Syria where he has shored up his rule with help from the Russian military and Iranian- backed militias from across the region, although opposition forces have, in recent weeks, launched two of their boldest offensives in many months, on Damascus and north of the government-held city of Hama.

Referring to those attacks, Mr Al Assad said the opposition had a “perverted sense of jihad”, accusing them of attacking Damascus, Hama and other places wile peace talks were held in Kazakhstan.

“That is why we cannot, practically, reach any actual result with this part of the opposition (in talks),” he said.

Syria’s Russian allies said the deaths in Khan Sheikhoun were caused by a leak from an arms depot where rebels were making chemical weapons, after it was hit in an air raid. The rebels deny this. The Russian- backed Astana talks were launched with support from Turkey, a major backer of the opposition to Mr Al Assad.

They sponsored a ceasefire between the government and rebels, however, it has been widely violated since it was declared in December.