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 t