Al-Assad: I’m Not West’s Puppet, to Live, Die in Syria

Local Editor

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed Thursday defiantly to "live and die" in Syria, saying in an interview broadcast Thursday that he will never flee his country.

In an interview with the English-language Russia Today TV, al-Assad confirmed "I am not a puppet, I was not made by the West for me to go to the West or any other country."

"I am Syrian, I am made in Syria, and I will live and die in Syria," he said.

In parallel, the Syrian President warned against foreign military intervention at a time when the West is taking steps to boost the opposition.

"I don't think the West is headed in this direction. But if it does, nobody can predict the consequences," he told the station. The full interview will be broadcast on Friday, the station said.

The excerpts show al-Assad casually talking and later walking with RT's reporter outside a house, wearing a gray suit and tie.

"We are the last stronghold of secularism and stability in the region and coexistence, let's say, it will have a domino effect that will affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific and you know the implication on the rest of the world," he asserted.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org