Assad agrees to peace talks 'in principle'

Syria will attend proposed Geneva talks but any deal must pass through a referendum, president says in latest interview.
President Bashar al-Assad has said Syria would be willing to attend peace talks with the opposition in principle, but any subsequent deal would have to be approved by a referendum.

Assad was referring to talks, backed by Russia and the US, planned next month in Geneva aimed at finding a political solution to the country's civil war.

Speaking to Lebanon's Hezbollah-owned Al Manar TV in his latest interview, Assad also said weapons contracts with Russia are not linked to the crisis, and that he would contest presidential elections next year if the Syrian people want him to.

He also said there is "a world war being waged against Syria and the policy of [anti-Israeli] resistance ... [but] we are very confident of victory."

The interview, pre-recorded and released on Thursday, was welcomed by some in Damascus with celebratory gunfire.

"The only condition [to attend peace talks] is that anything to be implemented will be submitted to Syrian public opinion and a Syrian referendum," Assad said.

Agreeing "in principle" to talks shows a "lack of relevance to the diplomatic process," said Geneive Abdo, a fellow in the Middle East programme at the Stimson Centre in Washington.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, she said: "This is not good ahead of peace talks in Geneva."

Coalition talks ending

Assad's interview was broadcast as the main opposition coalition wrapped up several days of talks in Istanbul.

"The National Coalition will not take part in any international conference or any such efforts so long as the militias of Iran and Hezbollah continue their invasion of Syria," Sabra told reporters in Istanbul.

Earlier on Thursday, George Sabra, head of the Syrian National Colaition (SNC), said the opposition would not participate in the Geneva talks until the international community intervened to end a siege in Qusayr, a town in Homs province near the Lebanese border.

Khaled Saleh, the SNC spokesperson, who addressed the news conference after Sabra, said civilians in the town had been "severely wounded" and Qusayr had been completely cut off by forces loyal to Assad.

"Civilians have no access to water, electricity and the massacre continues minute by minute while the Assad regime continues to use weapons" it receives from allies, he said.

Saleh said the UN and Arab League should intervene to stop the killings that the Lebanese group "Hezbollah is responsible for".




Al jazeera