Saboteurs Exploit Syria Reforms, Says President Bashar al-Assad

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad delivers a speech to the parliament in Damascus. The president said that there was a foreign plot against the government and that reforms can be instituted., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Saboteurs exploit Syria reforms: Assad

Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:43AM
presstv.ir

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says saboteurs are trying to exploit a movement seeking legitimate reforms in the country.

In an address to the Syrian nation on Monday, Assad said he differentiates between those with needs and those he described as “destructive elements,” Press TV reported.

Assad warned that a “conspiracy” is blooming in Syria. However, he added that “plotting” will only make the country stronger.

The Syrian president went on to say that his relationship with his people is based on “action and not words.”

Assad said he would like to “meet directly with protesters and have a comprehensive dialogue.”

“A national dialogue committee will be formed soon,” he added.

Scores of people, including security forces, have been killed since the beginning of unrest in Syria in mid-March.

Assad hailed the nation's “great vigilance” and pointed to the “martyrs” of the recent clashes, expressing his condolences to their families. He said Syria has paid “a high price” for its security and stability.

The Syrian president also stated that Syria is “at a turning point” of its history.

“A turning point from a past which was an unfamiliar black period that led to disappointment; We saw the killings, the terrorizing of citizens, and the destruction of public and private property which all came in the mix of a popular protest,” he said.

The shadowy opposition in Syria accuses the security forces of being behind the recent killings. However, the Syrian government blames armed gangs for the violence, saying that the unrest has been orchestrated from outside the crucial Middle Eastern country.

Assad told his nation that the solution to the recent unrest in Syria is to “resolve problems by ourselves.”

“A bright future awaits Syria just based on a national dialogue.”