Al-Assad's comprehensive statement to French TV
Syria-France, Politics, 6/22/2001

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has received Claude Soryoun, the anchor and editor at the second channel of the French TV who made an interview with the President dealt with most important issues relating to his forthcoming visit to France and Arab, regional and international issues.

The President said in his statement that the presence of the Syrian forces in Lebanon is temporary and that the recently made re-deployment is under technical considerations carried out by the military-men in the two countries, noting that the timing of the withdrawal of the Syrian forces from Lebanon is linked to the Lebanese internal conditions and regional conditions, noting that coordination continues to this effect with the Lebanese leadership and the Lebanese establishments within the context of political and military conditions in the region.

On the march of development and reforms, President al-Assad said " we have defined the objective we want to accomplish. We are working to develop the society and prepare the ground and the base for reaching the necessary democracy. We deal with objective and non- objective obstacles by accepting the principle of the " other's view," according to the development process which we have already started."

As for the ME peace process, President Bashar al-Assad said that Syria has worked and is working for the sake of peace..

He stressed that it is the interests of all in the region to achieve genuine and continued peace as a result of a balanced and just peace process that guarantees the return back of rights to their owners.

The President continued:" Our cause is that of rights recognized by all countries of the world and approved by UN resolutions and the UN Security Council. When the Israelis are committed to these resolutions and the basics of the peace process, as well as the desire of the international community to establish peace, then it will be natural that peace will be attained and the rights to return back to the Arabs." The President stressed Syria's support to the cause of Palestine so as to restore back the rights for the Palestinian people, noting that Syria's doors are open to Arafat at any time he wants to come to it.

Replying to a question on Syria's conditions for peace, the President said that Syria's position is clear. It wants its full rights and that Syria's conditions are international and stem from the Syrian rights approved by the whole international community. The President explained that the idea of the land for peace is not a Syrian one, rather an international idea, and therefore the Syrian condition for peace is an international condition which is not different from what is approved by France or any other country in the world.

Al-Assad refuted the hostile campaign launched following the speech he delivered upon receiving Pope John Paul II in Damascus. He said: " I did not talks about racism, rather I talked about the sublimes of the three divine religions, which stress justice, peace and amity and similar basic principles. There was a sort of flashback to what is now taking place in Palestine to what used to be taken place at the times of the Christ and the times of Prophet Muhammad. I have said in that speech what was meant that the suffering of the Christ resembles the suffering that the Palestinians have now and that the betrayal Prophet Muhammad exposed to against his message is similar to that carried out by Israel against the peace process."

The President continued "there was a great attack in the western media in general on a certain thing that was not said. " It was the criticism, as they said on the Jews. The heart of the matter that what various articles said contradict the reality. I am a Muslim man."

"Islam is a divine religion. It is a religion which recognizes the other three divine religions like Christianity and Judaism. These three divine religions were all brought by the one God we all pray for. So it is no logic to violate the norms of the Islamic religion in order to criticize a divine religion." President Bashar al-Assad noted the European role, and the French role in particular in the region. He explained " for us, we are part of the Middle East and the main problem for us is the question of peace and the Syrian rights and the Arab rights in general. The International community is the one who agreed to sponsor the peace process and it is the one who voted for the UN security council resolutions, especially southern Europe, and to be precise the European states overlooking the Mediterranean, as geographical closeness help these countries to play a greater role in issues relating to the affairs of the region.." The President explained:" France also has its own specialty in being different from others. It has been in the region for long decades and it is the most capable for dealing with our causes."

The President also talked about the Syrian- French relations stressing that these relations have been always good since the rule of the former French President De Gualle who stood by the Arab causes openly up to President Chirac. He expressed hope that this relation will continue to develop for the better in the future.

Previous Stories:
  On al-Assad's visit to France   (6/21/2001)
  On President Bashar al-Assad's visit to France   (6/20/2001)
  Chirac refused to postpone President al-Assad visit   (6/18/2001)

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