Assad: Syria will only abandon WMD stockpile if Israel does
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Syrian President Bashar Assad has declared that he will not get rid of any weapons of mass destruction his country may possess unless Israel does the same.
Mr Assad's comments come in the wake of the decision last month by Libya's Colonel Gaddafi to disarm after negotiations with the US and UK. The statements by Mr Assad were being viewed last night as the closest he has come to admitting Syria may have chemical and biological capability. In defending the right of Syria to arm, he pointed to Israel's recent attack on alleged Palestinian bases in Syria and the occupation of the Golan Heights as reason that Syria needed a deterrent.
"We are a country which is [partly] occupied and from time to time we are exposed to Israeli aggression," Mr Assad told The Daily Telegraph in an interview.
"It is natural for us to look for means to defend ourselves. It is not difficult to get most of these weapons anywhere in the world and they can be obtained at any time."
Mr Assad called on the international community to support a proposal Syria presented to the United Nations last year for removing all WMD from the Middle East, including Israel's nuclear stockpile. "Unless this applies to all countries, we are wasting our time," he said. But Mr Assad expressed interest in running joint patrols with America along the Syria-Iraq border to prevent the passage of arms.
He also claimed to have stopped the activities of Palestinian extremists in Syria. But he said of Palestinian suicide bombers that the attacks were a "reality we cannot control" and he blamed such attacks on "the Israeli killings, the Israeli occupations".
"More killings by Israel will have a reaction," he said. ". . . Only Israel when it stops killing won't have any more killing."
Mr Assad said of WMD in the region that things were: "moving from bad to worse. Now there are much greater risks of war than ever before".
"If you don't use double standards, why not support us? Why not raise it with the Israelis?"
Mr Assad said of the US occupation of Iraq: "The US does not have to be in Iraq to threaten Syria. They are everywhere in this world, that doesn't change anything."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments