Assad: I want to be remembered as the saviour of my country
BASHAR AL-ASSAD, the Syrian president, has said he wants to be viewed as “the one who saved his country,” as Isil bomb attacks killed more than 100 people in government-held neighbourhoods.
Speaking shortly before the attacks, Assad said he was still optimistic that his war-ravaged country would one day be “safe and sound”. Asked where he saw himself in 10 years’ time, he told Spanish newspaper El Pais: “In 10 years, if I can save Syria as president – but that doesn’t mean I’m still going to be president in 10 years.
“If Syria is safe and sound, and I’m the one who saved his country – that’s my job now, that’s my duty.”
But yesterday was punctuated with news of fresh horrors in regime-held neighbourhoods, this time in the form of attacks claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
In the Al-Zahraa district of Homs, which is home to many members of Assad’s Alawite sect, twin bomb attacks killed at least 57 people and injured 100 more. In Damascus, at least 50 people died after triple blasts rocked a suburb near Sayeda Zeinab, a Shia shrine.
Meanwhile, forces supporting the regime, including Lebanese Hizbollah fighters, recaptured 18 villages from Isil in eastern Aleppo over the weekend, extending their control of the road running towards the jihadist group’s stronghold of Raqqa.
In the interview, Assad said he was “ready” to accept an internationally brokered ceasefire but implied it was unlikely to come into force.
Hopes of reaching an agreement through a UN peace process have floundered and the next round of proposed talks have been postponed as fighting continues. The Syrian opposition’s main umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, said it was open to a truce but only if the regime and Russia stopped firing and allowed aid into besieged rebel cities.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, said yesterday that a “provisional agreement” had been reached on a ceasefire that could begin in the next few days.
Russia’s five-month bombing campaign has turned the tide of Syria’s war in Assad’s favour, and emptied large swathes of rebel-held northern Aleppo.
Amnesty International said attacks on civilian areas had caused some of the most “egregious” war crimes the group had seen in decades.
Assad denied that his campaign of barrel bombing cities was responsible for the exodus of millions of refugees. He instead blamed Isil terrorism and Western sanctions, which he said “caused more difficulties” for people.