“Naturally, if you ask Syrians they will tell you they don’t want a peace conference in France, for example, because France supports terrorism and war, not peace”, he said on the CT public station.
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“The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to support the legitimate government of Syria under President Bashar al-Assad and this support is robust and explicit and it’s our duty”, Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said upon arrival in Damascus.
“And as you mention Prague, it would be generally accepted because of the balanced position of your country”.
In the interview, conducted in Damascus on Sunday and aired on Tuesday, Assad said the downing of a Russian warplane by regional foe Turkey on November 24 showed Ankara’s dissatisfaction with developments on the ground in Syria, which he said had been moving in the government’s favor.
He expressed Iran’s appreciation of the “exceptional” steadfastness of the Syrian people and leadership in the face of the “fierce” war waged against them.
When asked whether Europe should fear the refugees or help them, Assad replied that most Syrians were good people, but there were also terrorists among them, while it is not known how many of them are terrorists.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrian migrants seeking asylum have already entered Europe this year, many of them without documents.
Last week, France President Francois Hollande had reiterated his determination to see Assad step down in order to give Syria a chance for peace.
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Assad said militant groups would get full amnesty if they are ready to lay down arms but added that this was not an option that jihadist groups like Islamic State or al Qaeda’s Syria wing Nusra Front were likely to take.
