Assad: France Supports Terrorism, Terrorists among Syrian Refugees to Europe

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has said Russia’s entry into the war in his country has changed the balance on the ground.

He defended the steps he has taken during the war that has continued for nearly five years and praised the Czech Republic for being one of few countries that have kept a functioning embassy in Damascus.

France has been adamant in its opposition to Assad, describing him as a “butcher” of his own people and yesterday Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said working with the Syrian army to fight the Islamic State group was not on the cards until he was removed. The Russian support or participation is going to be stronger. “There is no way back in that regard”, he said.

Turkey, which backs the USA and its coalition allies’ demand for President Assad to leave, has been insisting that it downed the Russian Su-24 bomber because the jet had violated its airspace for “17 seconds”.

Russia, the main global supporter of Mr Assad, has been bombing insurgent positions in western Syria near where its warplane crashed, including areas held by Turkmen rebels supported by Ankara.

“When they give up their arms, and go back to their normal life, the government [will] offer them amnesty”, he said. The first information has suggested that Syrian refugees and possible terrorists among them were spoken about. At the same time, the European Union is struggling to handle the arrival of more than a million migrants this year, an influx that Assad said included terrorists.

“But when you talk about ISIS (Islamic State) and al Nusra and al Qaeda offshoots, they are not ready to give up their arms, they are not ready to make negotiations with the government anyway”, he said.

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.