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Leaving Power Would be 'Betrayal,' Says Syria's Assad
[An Nahar] Quitting power while his government battles a countrywide uprising would be a "national betrayal," Syria's  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... has told a German newspaper in an interview. "If I decided to leave office under these circumstances, it would be national betrayal. But it's another question if that's what the people want," he told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "Elections or a referendum are the way to know if the people want you to quit your post," said Assad. His remarks were published in full on state news agency SANA a day after the German daily published extracts from the interview. Assad's departure has been a key demand since the early days of the uprising that began in March 2011 with peaceful demonstrations, before devolving into a brutal armed conflict. The violence has killed more than 93,000 people, according to the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... , but Assad has repeatedly insisted he will not step down and will be in office at least until the 2014 presidential election. "The presidential mandate finishes in 2014. (We're) in a time of crisis... and it is normal not to leave the country," Assad said. Posted by: Fred 2013-06-19 |
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