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IN DENIAL: Barbara Walters' Interview with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad
07-Dec-2011
In Interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad say’s 'There Was No Command to Kill'. (For More on this Story including Walter’s Views on Interview Go to ABC’s Here)
Barbara Walters discusses brutal crackdown of protests with Syria's président :
(NOTE : TO WATCH DOUBLE CLICK HERE)
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THE ASSAD ENIGMA :
From Respectable Surgeon to ‘bloodthirsty’ dictator
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Barbara from "The View" program went to Syria ( few years ago):
Asma Elassad Syria's first lady on Gaza by CNN (Jan 14, 2009):
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NO REMORSE , NO GUILT
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Syria's Bashar al-Assad 'feels no guilt' over crackdown (bbc)
Syria's president has said that he feels no guilt about his crackdown on a 10-month uprising, despite reports of brutality by security forces.
In an interview with the US network ABC, Bashar al-Assad said he had given no orders for violence to be used against protesters but admitted "mistakes"were made.
He said he did not own the security forces or the country.
At least 4,000 people have been killed since the uprising began, the UN says.
However, Mr Assad said the UN was not credible.
Syria blames the violence on "armed criminal gangs".
The US later rejected President Assad's assertions that he did not order the killing of protesters.
"It is just not credible," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
"The United States and many, many other nations around the world who have come together to condemn the atrocious violence in Syria perpetrated by the Assad regime know exactly what's happening and who is responsible."
Mr Assad's interview comes a day after the US announced that its ambassador in Syria, Robert Ford, would return to Damascus after he was withdrawn in October because of security concerns.
France's ambassador returned on Monday.
'Big difference'
Responding to questions from veteran presenter Barbara Walters about the brutality of the crackdown, Mr Assad said he did not feel any guilt.
"I did my best to protect the people, so I cannot feel guilty," he said. "You feel sorry for the lives that has [sic] been lost. But you don't feel guilty - when you don't kill people."
"We don't kill our people… no government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person," he added.
The security forces were not his, nor did he command them, the Syrian president said.
"There was no command, to kill or to be brutal," he said.
"I don't own them, I am president, I don't own the country so they are not my forces."
Instead he blamed the violence on criminals, religious extremists and terrorists sympathetic to al-Qaeda, who he said were mingling with peaceful protesters.
He said most ofthose killed were from government supporters, with 1,100 soldiers and police among the dead.
Those members of the security forces who had exceeded their powers had been punished, he said.
"Every 'brute reaction' was by an individual, not by an institution, that's what you have to know," he said.
"There is a difference between having a policy to crack down and between having some mistakes committed by some officials. There is a big difference."
When challenged about reports of house-to-house arrests, including of children, Mr Assad said the sources could not be relied upon.
"We have to be here to see. We don't see this. So we cannot depend on what you hear,"he said.
The United Nations, which has said the Syrian government committed crimes against humanity, was not credible, Mr Assad said.
He described Syria's membership of the UN as "a game we play".
Asked if he feared sharing the fate of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi or ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Mr Assad said the only thing he was afraid of was losing the support of his own people.
Recommended Reading:
Bashar al-Assad: Syria's unintended president (CNN, Wire Staff)
U.N.puts death toll at 4,000 in Syria as pressures rise by Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, (CNN)
Related Blogs on Syria and ME Crisis:
Jordan's King Abdullah Calls On Syria's President Assad to Step Down
Jordan's King Warns: 'No one has any idea what to do about Syria'
Jordan King in talks with Mahmoud Abbas on Palestinian statehood bid
STUBBORN WALLS: Ben Gurion, Hussein, Nasser interviews on ME Peace Process
Related Blogs on ‘Barbara Walter’s Interviews’ :
Barbara Walters On Interviewing Muammar Gaddafi in 1989
pictory: Shah Interview with Barbara Walters and US Networks (1974-77)
A QUEEN's LOYALTY: Barbara Walters Shares Shahbanou Farah's concerns for President Mobarak's Family
WOMEN KNOW YOUR LIMITS: The Shah's Post Mortem Apologies to Barbara Walters and Oriana Fallaci
PRINCE OF PERSIA: Barbara Walters Interview with Crown Prince Reza (2002)
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by yolanda on Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:59 AM PSTThank you, DK, for the update!
'Assad's family attempts to escape Syria'
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:53 AM PST
'Assad's family attempts to escape Syria' (JPost)Sources tell Egyptian daily that Syrian security forcestried to help smuggle Syrian president's family out of country.
Syrian security forces attempted to smuggle Syrian PresidentBashar Assad's family out of the country, sources from the Syrian opposition told Al-Masry-Al-Youm Sunday evening, according to a report published by the Egyptian daily.
According to the report, security forces tried to aid thepresident's wife Asma Assad, to escape via Damascus, along with his children, mother and cousin.The sources told Al-Masry-Al-Youm that "a convoy of official vehicles was seen heading to the airport in Damascus," before they were intercepted by brigades of army defectors.
According to the source, there was a heavy exchange of fire between the security forces and the Free Syrian Army forces; the family were prevented from escaping and returned to the presidential palace.
Assad & family 'will be killed like Gaddafi' say's opposition
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:50 AM PSTSyria: Bashar al Assad and family 'will be killed like Gaddafi ...(Telegraph)
The Syrian President Bashar al Assad, his British wife Asma and their family will meet a bloody end 'like Gaddafi' as his regime falls from power, a leading member of the opposition movement has warned.
Friends of Mrs Assad, who grew up in Acton and attended Queens College Marylebone, said they were sure she was repulsed by the violence in defence of the dictatorship.
"She would be horrified with what is happening," said Malik al-Abdeh, a TV magnate speaking to The Times. "She lived most of her life here. Her ethics and morality were formed here. I think she must be genuinely shocked."
Syrian opposition rejects Russia-brokered talks
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:39 AM PSTSyrian opposition rejects Russia-brokered talks (France 24)
REUTERS - A senior member of the Syrian opposition said on Monday that the Syrian National Council had not received any formal invitation to attend talks with Syria’s authorities in Russia, and would decline if one arrived.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the Syrian authorities had agreed to talks in Russia, and that it hoped the opposition would agree.
“We have not received any offer like that officially and I think, if such an offer exists, it will be no more than an attempt to influence the (U.N.) Security Council. But I say clearly that our position has not changed and it is that there is no dialogue with (President Bashar al-Assad),” Abdel Baset Seda, a member of the Syrian council’s executive committee, told Reuters.
He was speaking by telephone from New York, where he was following the Arab League’s bid to win support from the Security Council for its Syria peace plan.French photographer Mani says children killed by snipers in Homs
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:07 AM PST'Children killed by snipers in Homs' (BBC, AUDIO)
Two children have been shot dead by snipers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Homs in recent days, according to a French photographer, Mani, who has been visiting the Syrian city.
In an interview for the BBC's PM programme, he said that snipers were a "major problem" in Homs and that civilians were being killed on a daily basis.
He also claimed civilians were being targeted by nail bombs in an attempt to "spread terror" and that there was a growing desire for international intervention amongst the city's residents.
Homs is one of the areas that has been at the centre of the ongoing anti-government protests that begun in Syria ten months ago. The UN estimates that more than 5,000 people have been killed in violence related to the uprising.
The struggles for Syrian Kurds
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:24 AM PSTThe struggles for Syrian Kurds (CNN, Video)
Fred Pleitgen on what Syrian Kurds demand for joining in the uprising.
Russian arms shipments bolster Syria's embattled Assad
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:03 AM PSTOn 10 January, a Russian cargo ship loaded with containers from the country's main arms exporter made an unscheduled stop at the port of Limassol in Cyprus, apparently forced from the sea by bad weather.
Port officials who boarded the ship discovered what was described as "dangerous cargo".
A well-placed source has confirmed to the BBC that it was carrying tons of ammunition destined for the Syrian security forces which stand accused of committing atrocities against their own people, killing and torturing thousands since the uprising began last year.
The ship was held for several hours at Limassol before being allowed to sail on, eventually reaching the Syrian port of Tartus a few days later.
This was just the latest consignment of arms and ammunition sent by Russia in support of the Assad government, a close ally with whom Moscow has maintained good relations for decades.
According to some estimates, 10% of Russia's global arms sales go to Syria, with current contracts estimated to be worth $1.5bn (£950m).Russia 'to block' Syria vote at UN Security Council
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 09:59 AM PSTRussia 'to block' UN Syria vote (bbc)
Russia says it will block a UN Security Council resolution based on an Arab League text calling for President Assad to hand power to a deputy.Video shows entire family massacred in Homs, Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 05:51 AM PSTWARNING TO SENSITIVE VIEWERS GRUESOME !
Video shows entire family massacred in Homs (FRANCE 24)
Activists in the Syrian city of Homs released a particularly worrisome video Friday. It shows the bodies of at least ten people – of whom five are children, four are women and one is a man – laid out in a room. Their bodies are covered in blood, and some of them are disfigured. According to one of our Observers in Homs, Rami H. (not his real name), this video shows a family from the neighbourhood of Karm Al Zaytoun. He says all 14 members of this family were killed on January 26 when “chabbihas”, militiamen who work with Syria’s security forces and army, paid a visit to the neighbourhood. According to Rami H., who spoke with neighbourhood residents, the chabbihas barged into several houses, apparently picked at random. Then, according to the residents, they took the people they found in these homes out into the street and ran them over with cars. New images of killings in Syria are posted to YouTube every day. However, this video particularly shocked Syrian web users, because they show women and children – the youngest of whom seems to be at most two years old – killed in what is described as a random and barbaric manner. According to Rami H., 29 people were killed Thursday in the neighbourhood of Karm Al Zaytoun alone.
We have decided not to publish the video; however, PLEASE BE WARNED THAT THE SCREEN GRABS BELOW ARE GRAPHIC AND MAY SHOCK VIEWERS.
Activist: Arab League 'prolonged' Syria crisis
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 12:53 AM PSTJournalist and human rights activist Ghias al-Jundi has told BBC News that the Arab League lacks credibility - and may have prolonged the Syrian crisis on the ground.
His comments come as the Arab League is suspending its monitoring mission in the country because of the growing violence.
The mission was set up in December to monitor compliance by Damascus with the league's plan to end bloodshed.Jim Muir on Syria crisis: Arab League fails to stem conflict
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 12:25 AM PSTAnalysis: Increasingly desperate conflict (bbc)
After more than 10 months and 5,000 deaths, an end to the crisis ravaging Syria remains a distant prospect.
The only sure thing is that in the coming months, many more people will die violent deaths as the conflict becomes increasingly desperate and ugly.
There is no visible way towards a resolution of the struggle between a regime determined to cling to power, and a revolt which long ago passed the point of no return.
Jim Muir: Syrian Army 'regains Damascus suburbs'
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jan 30, 2012 12:23 AM PSTArmy 'regains Damascus suburbs'(bbc)
The Syrian army moves back into some outlying suburbs of Damascus recently held by rebel forces, and heavily bombards the suburb of Saqba.
Jim Muir
BBC News, Beirut
If the Arab League observers had inhibited Syrian government forces from attacking residential areas, any such constraints now seem to be thrown to the winds.
The government actions reported by activists in the eastern suburbs of Damascus and in Rankous, just to the north of the capital, reinforce the sharp escalation cited by the league as grounds for suspending its observer mission.
The upsurge coincided with the renewal of the observers' mandate for a second month, causing the Syrian government to express surprise and regret when it was called off.
It blames the escalation on "armed terrorist groups" encouraged by some Arab states trying to increase the pressure for action by the UN Security Council.
But the league blamed the regime for pursuing the "security option" and breaking commitments it made to halt violence. That is the line it will put to the Security Council on Tuesday.
Assad is losing grip and that outcome has a huge impact on the
by Disenchanted on Sun Jan 29, 2012 02:00 PM PSToutcome of Iran's stand off with west!
'Tanks move towards central Damascus'
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jan 29, 2012 01:54 PM PST'Tanks move towards central Damascus' (BBC, VIDEO)
Syrian tanks and troops are reported to have launched a fresh attack on anti-government activists in suburbs of Damascus.
These pictures were apparently taken in the suburb of Douma - they appear to show military vehicles on the streets.
The BBC cannot verify this video, but the images are consistent with reports from the area.
Activists said a total of about 60 people were killed on Sunday, with the government reporting at least 16 soldiers killed in two attacks by armed rebels.
The BBC's Jim Muir has been following events from Beirut in neighbouring Lebanon.
Syrian troops battle for control of Damascus suburbs
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:42 AM PSTSyrian troops battle for control of Damascus suburbs (France 24, Video)
Around 2,000 Syrian troops backed by tanks launched an assault to retake Damascus suburbs from rebels on Sunday, activists said, a day after the Arab League suspended its monitoring mission in Syria because of worsening violence.
They said 19 civilians and rebel fighters were killed as the soldiers in buses and armoured personnel carriers moved in at dawn, along with at least 50 tanks and armoured vehicles.Syria army moves to wrest Damascus suburbs from rebels
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jan 29, 2012 09:27 AM PSTCrackdown on rebels in Damascus (bbc)
The Syrian army has moved to retake control of Damascus suburbs from rebel forces, activists say.
Jim Muir BBC News, Beirut:
If the Arab League observers had inhibited Syrian government forces from attacking residential areas, any such constraints now seem to be thrown to the winds.
The government actions reported by activists in the eastern suburbs of Damascus and in Rankous, just to the north of the capital, reinforce the sharp escalation cited by the league as grounds for suspending its observer mission.
The upsurge coincided with the renewal of the observers' mandate for a second month, causing the Syrian government to express surprise and regret when it was called off.
It blames the escalation on "armed terrorist groups" encouraged by some Arab states trying to increase the pressure for action by the UN Security Council.
But the league blamed the regime for pursuing the "security option" and breaking commitments it made to halt violence. That is the line it will put to the Security Council on Tuesday.
Jeremy Bowen:'Worst yet to come' in Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jan 28, 2012 05:57 PM PST'Worstyet to come' in Syria (bbc)
The diplomatic pressure is being ratcheted up against President Assad of Syria and so is the pressure inside the country, as the head of an Arab League monitoring mission said unrest had soared this week "in a significant way".
Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen has been in Syria for the past ten days, and gets the feeling that the "worst days" still lie ahead.
Shashank Joshi, Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, says Syria is protected by a "diplomatic shield" put forward by Russia. Loyalty is on a much larger scale for President Assad than it was for Colonel Gaddafi in Libya, he points out.
It is hard to see how a "fractured and dispersed" rebel force can succeed, he adds, a situation much more akin to the civil war in Iraq than to Libya.
Syria activists: 150 killed in 3 days
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jan 28, 2012 03:00 PM PSTSyria activists: 150 killed in 3 days (bbc, VIDEO)
Opponents of President Bashar al-Assad's regime claim around 150 people have been killed inside Syria in the last three days.
It comes as the Arab League decided to suspend its observer mission in the country - a decision described by Syria as "strange".
The government claimed that the Arab League had been attempting to influence the United Nations Security Council when it meets on Tuesday.
Jon Leyne reports from Cairo, where the Arab League has its headquarters.
Jeremy Bowen sees an uprising turning to war near Damascus
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jan 28, 2012 07:51 AM PSTGunning for Assad (bbc, VIDEO)
When the BBC team approached a checkpoint set up by the rebel Free Syria Army in the suburbs of Damascus, masked men with Kalashnikov assault rifles and hand grenades moved towards us - a few of them offering dates and biscuits.
It is customary to give mourners something sweet, and a funeral was about to start that they said they were protecting.
I had no idea before I saw them with my own eyes that the Free Syria Army was so active in and around Damascus.
Arab League halts Syria mission due to upsurge in Violence
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jan 28, 2012 06:22 AM PSTArab League halts Syria mission (bbc)
The Arab League says it is suspending its controversial monitoring mission in Syria because of the upsurge in violence.
Forces kill 60 people in Syria, says opposition group
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jan 28, 2012 02:42 AM PSTDeaths rise in Syria as U.N. Security Council holds talks (cnn)(CNN, VIDEO)
Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- Deaths mounted in Syria on Friday as world powers in the U.N.Security Council weighed a draft resolution calling on the country's president to step down.
Soldiers and security forces killed 60 people on Friday, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition activist group.
The group said the dead included three children, three women and three soldiers who had defected. Nineteen of the deaths occurred in Homs, it said. CNN cannot independently confirm events in Syria because it is limited from reporting on the ground.
In the Daraa province village of Nawa, 11 civilians died at the hands of pro-regime militias, the LCC said. The assault occurred during a funeral procession for a high school student whom security forces had killed Thursday.
Morocco's UN Draft resolution calls for al-Assad to quit
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jan 28, 2012 02:39 AM PSTDraft resolution calls for al-Assad to quit (cnn)
United Nations (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council discussed Friday a resolution introduced by Morocco that calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down and transfer power to his vice president.
The resolution also supports "full implementation" of the Arab League report on Syria that called on Syria to form a unity government within two months but stopped short of supporting military intervention. The Arab League report was released about a month after it sent observers into Syria.
Assad power 'waning'
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jan 27, 2012 05:11 PM PSTAssad power 'waning' (BBC, VIDEO)
Activists in Syria are claiming that the army has launched renewed assaults on several cities.
More than 130 people are believed to have been killed across the country in the last 48 hours.
The United Nations Security Council will meet this evening to discuss a draft resolution which could result in President Assad standing down.
The BBC's Jeremy Bowen reports from the Damascus suburb of Saqba - another area where the Assad government's grip appears to be weakening.
Syrian activist: 17 bodies thrown into Hama main square
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jan 27, 2012 05:06 PM PST'Bodies thrown into Hama square (BBC, Video)
Opposition activists in Syria say government forces have launched renewed assaults on several cities - with corpses "thrown" into a public square in the town of Hama.
Amer al Sadeq, an activist on the outskirts of Damascus, spoke to BBC World.
He claimed that, in a sense, Syrian history is repeating itself.
UN in closed-door talks on Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jan 27, 2012 01:53 PM PSTUN in closed-door talks on Syria (bbc)
The UN Security Council has met to consider a possible resolution against Syria's government.
Syria deaths rise as U.N. holds talks
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:21 PM PSTSyria deaths rise as U.N. holds talks (cnn)
Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- Deaths mounted in Syria on Friday as world powers plan crucial talks about the conflict there.
Soldiers and security forces killed 135 people on Thursday and Friday, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition activist group.
Arabs warn of Syria 'escalation'
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:05 AM PSTArabs warn of Syria 'escalation' (bbc)
The Arab League's monitoring chief has warned of an escalation of violence in Syria in recent days, as the government intensifies its crackdown on protests.
Gen Mustafa al-Dabi said the violence would make it more difficult for the two sides to engage in talks. Activists say 135 people have died in two days.
A BBC reporter in Damascus says the regime appears to be losing control of rebellious areas of the capital.
The UN Security Council is due to discuss a draft resolution on Syria.
Cairo protesters storm Syrian Embassy
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jan 27, 2012 09:52 AM PSTCairo protesters storm Syrian Embassy (cnn)
At least 50 protesters opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime stormed the Syrian Embassy building in Cairo on Friday, smashing windows and tearing down the Syrian flag before dispersing, embassy officials said.
Jeremy Bowen: Assad losing grip on Damascus suburb Saqba
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jan 27, 2012 09:42 AM PSTThe BBC has seen more evidence of the extent to which the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of sections of the poor suburbs of Damascus.
Syrian army 'attacks restive Homs and Hama'
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jan 27, 2012 09:39 AM PSTThe Syrian army has launched renewed assaults on several cities including Homs and Hama, killing dozens of people, according to activists.
Most of the deaths have occurred in Homs, rights groups say. The Arab League says there has been a "high escalation" of violence in recent days.
A BBC reporter in Damascus says the regime appears to be losing control of rebellious areas of the capital.