President al-Assad to BBC News: “So, the first part of your question is about asking us to stop fulfilling our duty to defend our people against the terrorists?…We are defending civilians, and making dialogue”

the real Syrian Free Press

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Interview given by H.E. President Bashar al-Assad to BBC News: following is the full text.

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Welcome to a BBC News Special. I am Jeremy Bowen. I am in Damascus, in the Presidential Palace, the complex which overlooks Damascus city; and here we have been interviewing the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad.

Question 1: Mr. President, you’ve lost control of large areas of Syria. The jihadist group that calls itself Islamic State has emerged. There are perhaps 200,000 Syrians dead, millions have lost their homes. The UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has called this the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world since the Second World War. Has Syria become a failed state?

President Assad: No, as long as the government and the state institutions are fulfilling their duty towards the Syrian people, we cannot talk about failed states. Talking about losing control is something completely different. It’s like…

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