Syrian President Bashar Assad today denied that his government had anything to do with last week’s gruesome Houla massacre, saying not even “monsters” would carry out such an ugly crime.
In a televised speech to parliament, Assad said his country is facing a “real war” and blamed foreign-backed
terrorists and extremists for the bloodshed. He pledged to press ahead with his military crackdown.
The president’s first comments on the massacre expressed horror over the deaths of more than 100 people, nearly half of them children. UN investigators say there are strong suspicions that pro-government gunmen carried out the
killings, but Assad denied that.
“If we don’t feel the pain that squeezes our hearts, as I felt it, for the cruel scenes – especially the children – then we are not human beings,” Assad said. His last public address was in January.
Assad, 46, denies that there is any popular will behind the uprising, saying foreign extremists and terrorists are
driving the revolt.
His remarks suggest he is still standing his ground, despite widespread international condemnation over his deadly
crackdown on dissent. Although his words reflected many of the same general points of his previous speeches – blaming terrorists and extremists, vowing to protect national security – his comments on Houla were widely anticipated.
“Not even monsters would carry out (the crimes) that we have seen, especially the Houla massacre… There are no
Arabic or even human words to describe it,” he said.
Assad said his opponents have ignored his moves toward reform, including a referendum on a new constitution and
recent parliamentary elections.
—————PTI