Its about the region. Charlie as the Congress Returns to washington to vote on the possibility of authorizing a military strike against syria and the president prepares an address to the nation on tuesday night. A conversation with the president of syria, next. Captioning sponsored by Rose Communications charlie mr. President , thank you very much for this opportunity to talk to you at a very important moment. Because the president of the United States will address the nation this week and as you know important conversation is taking place in washington and important things are happening here in your country. Do you expect an airstrike . As long as the United States doesnt obey the International Law and trample over the charter of other nations we have to worry that any administration not only this one would do anything. But according to the lies that we have been hearing from high ranking officials in this administration we have to expect the worse. Charlie are you prepared . Weve been living difficult circumstance for the last two years and a half and were prepare ourselves for every possibility. But that doesnt mean prepared for things would be better its going to get worse with any foolish strike or stupid war. Charlie what do you mean worse . Worse, nobody can tell the repercussions of the first strike or talking about one region, not only about serious, the intermingled whatever you want to call it if you strike somewhere you have to expect the repercussions somewhere else in different forms, in ways that you dont charlie are you suggesting that in fact if there is a strike that would be repercussions against the United States from your friends in other countries like iran or hezbollah or others . As i said, may take different forms. Direct and indirect. Direct when people want to retaliate government. And direct when you are going to have instability and spread of terrorism all over the region that will influence the worst. Charlie have you had conversation with russia, with iran, with hezbollah about how to retaliate . We dont discuss this issue with government but we discuss repercussions which is more important because sometimes repercussions could be more destroying than the strike itself. Any American Strike will not destroy as much as the terrorists have destroyed in syria. Could be many double the strike itself. Charlie some have suggested that it might tip the balance in the favor of the rebels and lead to the overthrow of your government. Exactly. Any strike will be as direct support to al qaeda and iraq and syria, youre right about this. Its going to be direct support. Charlie this is about Chemical Warfare. Lets talk about that. Do you approve of the use of Chemical Warfare . What do you mean . Charlie the use of chemicals, deadly i think that we have to charlie do you think it is an appropriate tool of war to use chemicals . The chemical. We are against any wmd, women weapons of mass destruction whether chemical or nuclear. Charlie you are against the use of Chemical Warfare. Not only me as a government and me in 2001 we proposed in the United Nations proposal to empty or to get rid of every wmd in the middle east and United States was against that. Charlie youre not a signatory to the Chemical Warfare . Not yet. Charlie why not. Israel has wmd it has to sign and israel occupy our land thats where we talked about middle east, it should be comprehensive. Charlie do you consider Chemical Warfare equivalent to nuclear warfare. I dont know. We havent tried. Charlie you are head of state, you understand the consequences of dont discriminate technically they are not the same. But morally its the same. Charlie morally they are the same. But killing is killing. Massacring is massacring. You may kill tens of thousands or hundreds much thousands with very primitive charlie why do you have such a stockpile of chemical weapons . We dont discuss that in public. We dont say that we have it. We didnt say that we dont have it. Its syrian issue. Its a middle east issue we never discuss in public with anyone. The New York Times this morning. Syrias leaders amassed one of the stockpiles of chemical weapons with help from the soviet union and iran as well as western european suppliers and even a handful of American Companies according to america diplomatic cables and declassified intelligence records. You have amassed one of the largest supplies of the chemical weapon in the world. To have or not to have to a possibility. That depends on what the media say is nonsense or to depend on some of the reports of intelligence is nonsense that has proven when they invaded iraq ten years ago and they said iraq has stockpile of wmd and it was proven after the invasion that was false. It was false. We cannot stand on what one magazine wrote. But at the end its something not to be discussed with anyone. Charlie you accept that the world believes you do have chemical, stockpile of chemical weapons. Who . Charlie the world. United states and other powers who also have chemical weapons. Not about what they believe in its about what the reality that we have. This reality we own it woe charlie speaking of preat reality what was the reality on august 21st . What happened in your judgment . We are not in the area where the chemical attack was happen. We are not sure that anything happened. Charlie you are not sure that chemical weapons even though you have seen the videotape, even though youve seen the bodies, even though your own officials have been there. I havent finished. Our soldiers in another area were attacked chemically our soldiers. They went to the hospital as casualties because of chemical weapon. But in the area where they said the government used chemical weapons we only had video and we only have pictures, and allegations. Were not there. Our forces, our police, our situations dont exist. How can you talk about what happened. If you dont have evidence. Were not like American Administration were not social media administration. Or government. We are the government that reality charlie well as you know secretary kerry has said theres evidence that they rockets fired from a region controlled by your forces in to a region controlled by the rebels. They have evidence from satellite photographs of that, they have evidence of message that was intercepted about chemical weapons and other intercepted weapons. Secretary kerry has presented what he says conclusive evidence. He presented his confidence and he presented his conviction. Its about evidence. The russians have completely opposite evidence that the missiles were thrown from area where rebels controlled. That reminds me about what kerry said about big lie that colin powell said in front of the world on satellite about wmd in iran, he said this is our evidence. Actually he gave false evidence. In this case kerry didnt even present any evidence. He talk we have evidence, he didnt present anything. Nothing so far. Not single do you have some remorse for those bodies, those people that is said to be up to at least a thousand or perhaps 1400 who were in eastern guta who died. Every syrian victim. Charlie what about victims of this assault from Chemical Warfare. Dead is dead. Kill is killing. Crime is crime. When you feel pain, you feel pain about their family, about the loss that you have. Whether one person kill or hundred or thousand its a lot. Its a crime. Its a moral issue we have family that we sit with. Family that they love their dear ones not about how its about they are dead now. Charlie have there been any remorse or sadness on behalf of the Syrian People for what happened. I think sadless prevail in syria, we dont feel anything else because of sadness because we have killing every day, whether its chemical or any kind its not about how, we feel it every day. Charlie this was indiscriminate and children. Children were killed and people said goodbye to the children that morning didnt see them and will never see them again. In guta. Thats the case every day in syria. Thats why we have to stop the killing. c the fact that Chemical Warfare is indiscriminate. You have evidence that charlie as well as combatants. You are not talking about evidence and facts. You are talking about allegation. We are not sure that chemical weapon used, and who used it. We cannot talk about virtual things. We have to talk about facts. e United Nations observers from getting to guta that you deny and delayed red cross from and red crescent from getting there to make observations and to help. Your government delay we asked for delegation in marchc 2012 when the first attack happened in the north of syria. They delayed it until just two days before they september those team. He said in his report that did everything as he wanted. There was not a single obstacle. Charlie they said they were delayed in getting there they wanted to be there earlier. No, no. There wasc conflict. There was fighting. There was shooting. Didnt prevent them from going anywhere. We asked them to come, why delay it . If you want to say the american story, we use chemical weapons the same day the team, Investigation Team came to syria. Is it logical . Its not logical. If the army wanted to use suchc weapon should have waited three days until the investigation finished. Its not logical. The whole story doesnt even hold together. Charlie well come back to it. If your government did not, despite the evidence, who did it . We have to be there to get evidence its like what happened elsewhere. We have evidence, the United States they didnt send a team, didnt send evidence to the russians. Charlie dont you know the answer if you dont accept the evidence so far as to who did this . The question who threw chemical missile the same day on our soldiers, the same question. Soldiers doesnt throw it on themselves. Either the rebels, the terrorists or third party. We dont have any clue yet. We have to be fair to collect evidence then you can get answer. Charlie the argument is made that the rebels dont have the capability of using chemical weapons much they do not have the rock he or the supply of chemical weapons there for they could not have done it. They have been throwing rockets on damascus. That carry chemical women snobs. They have the means. Second, the been talking about the last week is very primitive you can have it Charlie Sharon gas. This was not primitive. This was a terrible use of chemical weapons. Third, they used it in the north of syria, the video and youtube where the terrorist clearly make trial on rabbit and kill the rabbit and said this is how were going to kill the Syrian People. Theres a new video about one of the one of those women who they consider rebel fighter or whatever, work with those terrorists and he said they didnt the chemical weapons and one of those weapons excluded in one and thats what she said. Those are evidence that you have. Anyway, the party who accused he is the one that has to bring evidence. The United States accused syria and you have to bring evidence. We have to find evidence when we are charlie what would be sufficient for you . What evidence charlie what evidence would be efficient. For example, we had the material and sample from the sand, from the soil. Sample from the blood. Charlie argument is made that you bombarded, your forces bombarded guta soon thereafter with the intent of covering up evidence. How could bombardment cover evidence . That evidence every day. Now you can have it. But lets talk indications just to this point because how can you use wmd while only one hupped meters away from it. It cannot be used like this. Anyone who is not military knows this. Why do you use chemical weapons while youre advancing. Last year was much more difficult than this year. And we didnt use it. Charlie theres this question, too, if it was not you, does that mean that you dont have control of your own chemical weapons and that perhaps they are falling in to the hands of other people who might want to use them . That implies that we have chemical weapons, first. That implies that its being used second. We cannot answer this question until we answer the first part and the second part. Third, lets preview that country or army have these weapons, these kind of armment cannot be used by for example, over anyone. These kind of marm meant should be used by specialized units. Charlie exactly. Which is controlled. Charlie you are saying if in fact your government did it, you would know about it and would have approved it. Im talking about generally charlie if in fact it happened i would have known about it and approved it. Generally. Charlie thats the nature. In every country, yes. Im talking about general rule. Because i cannot discuss with this point to you unless im telling you what we have and what we dont have. Something im not going to discuss as i said at the very beginning. Charlie do you question the New York Times article i read to you . Saying that you had a stockpile of chemical weapons . Youre not denying that. We dont say yes, we dont say no. As long as its classified it shouldnt be discussed. Charlie the United States is prepared to launch a strike against your country because they believe chemical women ons are so apparent that anybody who uses them crosses a red line. They have for taught a lesson so they will not do it again. Whats red line . A red line of the use of chemical weapons. Who drew it . Charlie the president says the world has drawn it in their revulsion against the use of chemical weapons. Its not the world. Obama can draw it for himself not for other countries we have our readily like orasone tee. But if you want to talk red lines United States used isreal used nobody said anything, what about the red lines . We dont see red lines. Its political red line. Charlie president is prepared to strike. Perhaps well get authorization of congress or not. The question then is, would you give up chemical weapons it if it would prevent the president from authorizing a strike . If that is a deal you would accept . Again, you are implying that we have chemical weapons. I have to thats the assumption of the president that is his assumption and he is the one who will order the strike. Its his problem. But for us in syria we have principles. We do anything to prevent the region from another crazy war. Its not only syria. It will start in syria charlie anything to prevent the region from having another crazy war. Yes. Charlie you recognize the consequences for you if there is a strike. Its not about me. Its about the region. Charlie abut your country and people. Of course. We are part of the decision. Were not cannot discuss it as syria. Or as me. It should be as a whole as comprehensive. Charlie some asked its a stupid thing to do if youre go to bring a strike down on your head by using women call weapons. You do it because youre desperate or in the alternative you do it because you want other people to fear you. Because these are such fearful weapons that if the world knows you have them and specifically your opponents in syria, the rebels, then you have gotten away with it and they will live in fear. And that therefore, the president has to do something. Cannot be desperate when the army is making advances. That should have happened if if we take in to consideration that this presumption is correct and this is reality. You use it in desperate situation. Our position is much better than before. This is not correct. Charlie you think youre winning the war . I dont know what to winning is subjective word. But we are making advancement because some people when you finish completely, when you charlie argument if you are winning because of the recent help youve gotten from iran and from hezbollah and additional supplies that have come. People from outside of syria supporting you in the effort against the rebels. Iran doesnt have any soldiers in syria. How could iran help me. Charlie supplies, weaponry. We always have this kind of of charlie hezbollah fighters have been here. In the border only on the border where the terrorist attacked them on the border with lebanon. This is where hezbollah retaliated. This is where you have cooperation. Thats good. Charlie hezbollah forces are in syria today . On the border area of lebanon where they want to protect and serve and cooperate with us. But they dont exist all overseer i cant. They cannot exist all overseer i cant. From any region that they exist on the border. Charlie what advice are you getting from the russians . About . Charlie this war. How to end this war. Looking for a solution, we have this advice and we are convinced about it. Charlie do you have plan to end the war . Of course. Charlie which is at very beginning it was fullly political when you have these terrorists the first part of the same plan which is political should start with the stopping, the smuggling of terrorists coming from stopping logistic support, the money, all kind of support. Second, you can have National Dialogue where the different syrian parties sit and discuss the future of syria. Third, you can have interim government or charlie you would be then you have the final elections, parliamentary elections. And you are going to have the president ial election. Charlie would you meet with rebels today to discuss a negotiated settlement . In the initiative that we issued at the beginning of this year. As long as they give up their armament. Charlie youll meet with the rebels and anybody who is fighting against you to give up their weapons. We dont have problem charlie they will say youre not giving up your weapons why should we give up our weapons . Does the government give up its weapons . Have you heard about that before . Charlie no. But rebels dont during the negotiation after a successful the armament of the government is legal. Any other is not legal. How can you compare, completely different. Charlie there is intense discussion going on all the things were talking about in washington. There is a strike, United States decision to do this, what do you want to say in this very important week in america and in washington to the American People, to members of congress, to the president of the United States. I think most important part of this now is they say American People but the majority now dont want war anywhere, not only against syria. But the congress is going to vote in a few days i think the congress is directed by the people to present the people. First question that they should ask of themselves, what do wars give america . Nothing. No political gain. No economy gain. No good reputation. United states is this war is against the interest of the United States. Why . This is the war that is going to support al qaeda and the same people that kill americans on the 11th of september. The second thing that we want to tell to the congress that they should ask and expect expect them to ask this administration about the evidence that they have regarding the chemical story. The allegation that they presented. I would tell the president , because were disappointed by their behavior recently because we expected this administration different from bushs administration. They have the same doctrine. We expect if were to expect something from this administration is not to be to say that we dont have evidence, that we have to obey the International Law that we have to go back to the Security Council and the United Nations. Charlie question remains what can you say to the president who believes chemicals weapons were used by your government that this will not happen again. Very simply, present what you have as evidence to the public. Be transparent. Charlie if he does . If he presents that evidence . This is where we can discuss the evidence, that he doesnt have. He didnt present it because he doesnt have it. No one has. If they had it they would have presented it to you and media. Charlie they have presented it to the congress. Nothing. Charlie the evidence they have from satellite, intercepted evidence and the like. Nothing is presented. Nothing has been presented so far. Charlie they have prepared to the congress, sir. You are a reporter. Get this evidence show it to the public in your country. Charlie they are presenting it to the public representatives you dont show your evidence and what you are doing and your plans to people within your own council. They are showing it to the peoples representative who have to vote on authorization to strike. If they dont find the evidence sufficient first of all we have the president of colin powell ten years ago when he showed the evidence, it was false and it was forced. Second, you want me to believe american evidence and dont believe indication that we have, we live this, this is our charlie indications are that what . Sorry . Charlie what your indications are that the rebels or the terrorists used the chemical weapons in alipo five months ago. Charlie and august 21 . That was before. On the 21st in this they used it against our soldiers in our area where we controlled it. And our soldiers went to the hospital and you can see that if you want. Charlie the area where that attack was controlled by rebel forces. That youre talking about the chemical attack. Yes. Charlie they have stockpiles they exploded because of the bob bartment. They attacked themselves by charlie move to the question of whether a strike happens i touched on this before. You have had fair warning, have you prepared by moving possible targets, are you moving target within civilian populations all the things that you might have done if you have time to do that and you have had clear warning that this might be coming. Its land was occupied more than four decades. And the nature of the frontier in syria implies that the most of the centers are inhabited areas. You find find military base in distant area from the cities unless its airport or Something Like this. They are within inhibited areas. Charlie will the attacks against american bases in middle east. Should expect everything. Not necessarily through the government, its not the governments are not only player in this region you have different parties, you have different factions, you have different ideology. You have everything in this region. You have to expect that. Charlie expect tell me what you mean by expect everything. Expect every action. Charlie including Chemical Warfare. That depends. If the rebels or the terrorists in this region or any other group have it, it could happen, i dont know. Im not fortune teller to tell what you is going to happen. Charlie wed like to know more, the president would like to know, American People if there is an attack, what might be the repercussions and who might be engaged in those. Before the 11th of september, some of the i used to say that dont deal with terrorists as playing game. Its a different story. You are going to pay the price if you are not wise in dealing going to be repercussions of the way of dealing it of treating terrorism. Nobody expected the 11th of september. You cannot expect difficult for anyone to tell what you is going to happen. Its area where everything is on the blink of exposure. Close lets talk about the war today. 100,000 people dead. A million refugees. A country being destroyed. Do you take some responsibility for that . The decision that i took on the first day i took the decision as president to defend my country. Who killed, thats another question. Actually the terrorists have been killing our people since the beginning of this crisis two years ago, two years ago and a half. The Syrian People wanted the government and the state institutions and army and police to defend, thats what happened. Talking about responsibility i took my responsibility according to the syrian constitution, that say we have to defend ourselves. Charlie mr. President , you constantly say its terrorists. Most people look at the rebels and they say that al qaeda and other forces from outside syria are no more than 15 or 20 of the forces on the ground. The other 80 are syrians, are defecators from your government and defecators from your military. They are people who are syrians who believe that their country should not be run by dictator, should not be run by one family and this they want a different government in their country. Thats 80 of the people fighting against you. Not terrorists. We didnt say 80 , for example, or majority or vast majority, we said majority are al qaeda or organizations in this region. When you talk about al qaeda doesnt matter if youre syrian or american other from europe or from asia or africa. Al qaeda have one ideology they go back to the same leadership in afghanistan or syria or thats the question. You have thousands of foreigners technically correct. We are fighting them on the ground and we know this. Charlie thats 15 or 20 of this. Thats realistic look at how many. Nobody knows because when they are dead and when they are killed they dont have any i. D. Look at their faces, they look foreign but where are they coming from. Outside of this estimate its difficult to tell. Technically, this is al qaeda. Not the nationality. If you have syrian al qaeda or pakistani al qaeda or saudi al qaeda thats different. The most important thing that the majority are alki d. We never said that the majority are not syrian. But we said minority are thats what we said. Charlie do you believe this is becoming a religious war . It started, first we have sectarian war. Some areas because if you talk about sectarian or religious war you should have very clear line between the sect and religions in syria, according to the geography and kelp grieve. Its not religious war but al qaeda always use religious, islam actually, as pretext as a cover as mantle for their terrorism and for their killing and behaving and so on. Charlie why is this war lasted two and a half years . Because of the external interference. External agenda. Supported by, lets say led by United States, the west, the countries mainly saudi arabia. And turkey. Thats why its lasted two years and a half. Charlie what are they doing . Those countries you cited . They have different agendas. They want to undermine the syrian position. For the countries like saudi arabia undermining syria will undermine iran, sectarian basis. For turkey they think that if the Muslim Brotherhood take over the rest of the region they will be very comfortable and happy and make sure that their political future is guaranteed. They have different agendas. And different goals. Charlie at the same time youve used hezbollah and youve gotten support from iran, from russia, whats happening here . Is this a kind of war that exists outside syria on both sides . I dont know what you mean by support. We have cooperation with those countries for charlie you tell me what are you receiving from iran . Political support. Charlie thats it . Weapons . No. We have agreement iss with many countries including iran, including russia including other countries. That its about Different Things including armament its cooperation like any cooperation between any two countries. Which is not related to the crisis. You dont call it support, you pay money for it, you dont call it support. Its cooperation but the word support is not precise. From russia, for example, we have political support. Which is different from the cooperation we have cooperation for six years now but now we have political support. Charlie russians say they have ongoing short beyond political cooperation they have treaties that existed with syria. They provided all kinds of defensive weapons. You said treaties and you said the not agreements, contracts that we have to forfeit. Those contracts like any country, anything you want. Charlie but do you believe this is has become a conflict of sunni versus shia . Not yet. In the mind of saudi it is. In the. Charlie in the minds. Iranians . No. What they are doing is opposite. They tried to open channels with the saudi, many other islamic entities in this region in order to talk about Islamic Society not charlie their moment for you as you saw the approaching syria, that you said ive seen what happened in libya. Ive seen what happened in tunisia ive seen what happened in egypt its not going to happen to bashar alassad. I will fight anybody who tries to overthrow my ra gene with everything i have. For one reason because first question that i ask, do i have public support or not. But the first question to ask as president , if i dont have the public support, whether there is socalled whether we have this or we dont, if you dont have public support you have to quit. You have to leave. If you have public support you have to think that your mission, you have to have people, you have to serve the people. I never said charlie go ahead. When you say public support, people will point to syria they say a minority sect, controlling the majority sunni population and its a dictatorship and they do it because of force of their own instruments of power. Thats what you have. Not public support for this war against its been two years and a half, okay, two years and a half and syria is still withstanding against the United States, saudi arabia, the richest country in this area including turkey. And take in to consideration what your question implies that even the big part or bigger part of the syrian population against me. How can i stand today. Im either super human or which is not the case. Charlie or you have a powerful paper. The army made of the people. Cannot be made of its made of charlie youre not suggesting that this army is not at your will and will of your family. What do you mean by the will of the family. Charlie the will of your family. Your brother is in the military. The military has been at every observer of syria believe that this is a country controlled by your family and controlled by the allalite that is the control. If that situation is correct what youre mentioning we wouldnt withstand for two years and a half. Wed have disintegration of the army and of the whole institution in the states. Kiss integration of syria. Im talking about normal rational people. Ifs not National Army it cannot have the support if it does have the public support of every sect it cannot do its job in advance recently. It cannot be the army of the family doesnt make national war. Charlie because in fact the rebels were winning before you got the support of hezbollah and in large support from the iranians, that you were losing they came in and gave you support so that you were able to at least start winning and produce at least a stalemate. The context is wrong. Because talking about winning and losing is if are talking about two armies fighting on two territory which is not correct. Thats not the case. Those are gangs coming from infiltrated inhibited area, killed the people, tack their houses and shoot at the army. The army doesnt charlie a large part of your country. No. They took went to every part the army go to clean, to get rid of them. They dont go and attack the army in area where the army occupied that area and took it from them. Its completely different. Its not correct. Not precise what youre talking about. Its completely different. The army is doing is a clean those areas and indication that the army is making advancement in that area. Never went one area how could that army do that if its a family army. What about the rest of the country. Charlie one small point about american involvement. The president has significant criticism there was an argument in his on council, secretary of state clinton, from the defense department, and others that they should have helped the rebels two years ago and we would be in a very different place. So the president has not given enough support to the rebels in the view of many people. And theres criticism that when he made a recent decision to give support it has not gotten to the rebels. Because they worry about the competition. American administration wanted to support al qaeda, go ahead. But for that we have to support al qaeda but dont talk about rebels and syria. The majority of fighters now are al qaeda. If you are supporting al qaeda, you are creating this region is not stable the whole world cannot be charlie with respect, sir, most people dont believe that the majority of the forces are al qaeda. Yes, there is a number of people who are al qaeda affiliates and who are here who subscribe to the principles of al qaeda. But thats not majority. As you know, you nona the composition differs within the regions of syria as to the forces that are fighting against your regime. The americans should learn to deal with reality. Why do the United States fail in most of its wars . It has wrong information. Whether they believe or not this is not reality. I have to be very clear and very honest. Im not asking them to believe this if they dont want to believe. This is reality. Im telling you the reality. Reality from our country, we live here we know what is happening they have to listen to people they cannot listen only to their media or to their centers they dont live here. No one live here but us. This is reality. If they want to believe, thats good, that will help them and being more successful in their policy. Charlie many people think this is not a sustainable position here, that this war it cannot continue because the cost for syria is too high. Too many deaths, 100,000 and counting. Too many refugees, too much destruction. The soul of a country at risk. If it was for the good of the country would you step down . That depends on the relation between me staying in this position and the conflict. I cannot discuss just to say, you have to step down, why . What the expected result. This is second when youre in the middle of a storm leaving your country just because you have to leave without any reasonable region it means you are quitting your country and this is treason. Charlie you are saying it would be treason for you to step down right now because of your obligation. Unless the public wants me to quit. Charlie how will you determine that . By the two and a half years standing without the public support we cannot withstand two years and a half. Look at the other countries, libya and tunisia. Charlie do you worry about what happened to gadhafi . The rebels are taking control in many countries. And look at the results now. What the results, nothing. Very bad. Nothing good. Charlie there was a report recently that you had talked about or someone representing you had talked about some kind of deal and would you and your family would leave the country if you were guaranteed safe passage, if you were guaranteed there would be no criminal prosecution, you are aware of these reports . We have this guarantee from the first day of the crisis. [ laughter ] charlie because of the way you backed it. No. Because talk about some of these agendas wanted me to quit. Very simply. They said we have all the guarantees if you want to leave. And all the money and everything you want. Just ignore that. Charlie youve been offered that opportunity . Im not its not my fight. Its not the fight of the government. Its the fight of the country, of the Syrian People. Thats how it is. Its not about me. Charlie its not about you . Every syrian. Charlie what in the end, what is the end game . Of this war . Charlie yes. Very simple. When the western countries stop supporting those terrorists and making pressure on their country like saudi arabia, and turkey and others you will have no problems. It will be because those fighters, the syrian fighters lost its natural incubators in the syrian society. They dont have incubators any more. Thats why they have incubators abroad. They need money from abroad. They need the moral support and plate political support. They dont have any grass roots incubator. Within you stop this, we dont have charlie at the same time, as ive said before, you have support from abroad. There are those who say you would not be able to survive without the support of russia and iran. Its not me. I dont have support. Charlie would not be able to every agreement is between every class and every sector in syria. Government people, trade, military culture, everything. Its like cooperation between your country and any other country in the world. The same cooperation. Its not about me. Its not support for charlie i mean about your government. You say that the rebels only survive because there is support from youd rain and turkey and the United States and qatar. Im saying that you only survive because you have the support of russia and iran and hezbollah. External support can never substitute internal support. Can never. For sure. Example that you have to look at very well is egypt and tunisia they have all the support from the west and from the gulf and from most of the countries where they dont have support within their country they couldnt continue more than how many weeks . Three weeks. Only reason we have internal support, public support. Any external support if you want to call it support, you use this word, its going to be additional. But its not to depend on the syrian support. Charlie you and i have talked about this before. We remember your father, he ruthlessly set out to eliminate the Muslim Brotherhood. Are you simply being your fathers son here . I dont know what you mean by ruthless. Charlie because of what happenedama. Have you heard about soft war . War is war. When you fight terrorists you fight like any other war. Charlie the message you have here are lessons you learned from your father what he did in hama which it is said influenced you greatly. Said what, sorry . Charlie it is said that what your father did at hama influenced you greatly in terms of your understanding of what you have to do. The question, what would you do as america if the terrorists invading your country from different areas started killing tens of thousands charlie you keep saying terrorists, it is a popular revolution people believe against that you was part of the arab spring that influenced some of the other countries. Revolution should be syrian, cannot be revolution imported from abroad. Charlie it started here. Those people that started here they support the government now. Thats what you dont know. You dont know you do not have thats why talking about what happened at the very beginning is completely different from what is happening now. Its not the same there. Is very high dynamic things are changing on daily basis. Its completely different image. Those people who wanted revolution they are cooperating with us. Charlie im asking you again, is in fact being your fathers son you believe that the only way to drive out people is to eliminate them the same way your father did. In being independent, yes. In fighting terrorism, yes. In defending the Syrian People and the country, yes. Charlie when i first interviewed you, there was talk of bashar alassad, hes the hope. Hes the reformer. Thats not what they say any more. Who . Charlie people who write about you, people who talk about you. People who analyze syria and your regime. Exactly. The hope for america is different from the hope of syria. For me i am the hope i should be the hope of syrian not any other, not american, neither french or anyone else. Im president to help Syrian People. This question should start from the hope of the Syrian People. And if there is any change regarding that hope we should ask the Syrian People. Not anyone else in the world. Charlie but now they say, their words, a butcher. Comparisons to worst dictators ever to walk on the face of the earth comparing you to them. Using weapons that go beyond warfare. Everything they could say bad about a dictator theyre now saying about you. First of all, when you have a doctor who cut the leg to prevent the patient from the gangrene, if you have to, we dont call him butcher we call him a doctor. You thank you for saving the life. When you have terrorism, you have war, when you have war, you always have innocent life that could be the victim of any war. You cannot talk about we dont have to discuss what the image in the west before discussing the image within syria. Charlie not just the west. Its the east, its the middle east and eyes of the world have been on syria. We have seen atrocities on both sides. But on your side as well. They have seen brutality by dictator that they say put you in category with the worst. We have to now the terrorists who come and kill syrians and destroy the country much, much more, this is where we can be a good president. What you imply. Charlie you cant allowed why the idea that there is opposition to your government from within syria, that is not possible for you to imagine . To imagine that we have opposition . We have it, you go you can go meet with them. We have some of them in the government, we have some of them outside the government. They are opposition. We have it. Charlie those are the people have been fighting against you. Opposition is different from terrorism. Opposition is a political movement. Opposition doesnt mean to take armament and kill people and detroy everything. Do you call people in los angeles in the 90s, do you call them rebels or opposition . What would the british call the rebels . Less than two years ago in london, did they call them opposition or rebels . Why should we call them opposition, they are rebels. They are not rebels, they are they are behaving, this opposition opposing country or government by behaving, by barbecuing hate, is that opposition . What do you call the people who attacked the september 11 . Opposition. They are not american, i know this. One of them has american nationality. Do you call him opposition or terrorist . Why should you use a term in the United States anding gland and maybe other countries and use another term in syria. This is double standard that we dont accept. Charlie i once asked you what you feared the most and you said the end of syria as a secular state. Is that end already here . According to what weve been seeing recently in the area where the terrorist controlled, where they band people from going to schools then young man from shaving their beards and women have to wear to be covered from top to toe from, head to toe. Lets say the taliban in afghanistan, secular state should reflect this society if you dont get freed of those terrorists of course it will influence at least the new and coming generations. This will be eroding. Charlie mr. President. Thank you for allowing us to have a conversation about syria and a war that is within as well as the future of the country. Thank you. Thank you for coming to syria. An, hovnan this is nightly business report, with Tyler Matheson and suesie garing. You get close to iconic landmarks, to local life, to cultural treasures. Vikings river cruises. Stocks soar on deals here at home, and worry that a strike against syria is imminent. And lawmakers back, making key decisions on everything from syria to the budget. And issues that will impact your money. Changing benefits in a growing trend, ibm and time warner plan to move their employees to insurance exchange