Bashar al-Assad

Today, the Iraqi citizen sees that America is coming and wants to occupy his country and kill him, and he is willing to experience for himself what happened in Palestine.

We believe that Lebanon has been the first real experience for all the Arabs.

We, in Syria, our point of view stems from our experience.

America is interested in re-arranging the region as it sees fit.

None of us and none of the Arabs trust Israel.

Despite the ethnic diversity within each nation, the social fabric of the region by and large is one.

We have more difficult circumstances than most of the Arab countries but in spite of that Syria is stable. Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue.

It is natural that we should always expect an Israeli attack, even when it does not threaten.

It is even more so when it comes to Iraq, which is a large Arab country with scientific, material, and human resources and is able to accomplish, at the least, what Lebanon accomplished, and more.