DAMASCUS, (SANA)_ President Bashar al-Assad reiterated here Monday that Syria's option is to look forward into the future and to control the events rather than to be led by them.
In a televised speech to the citizens at Damascus University Auditorium, President al-Assad said "Credibility has formed the basis of the relation between the People and me, the credibility which has been built on deeds and not words, on substance and not on form,'' describing today's meeting as coming in a decisive moment in the history of Syria as to separate a yesterday, burdened with confusion, pain, and innocent blood, and tomorrow filled with hope.
President al-Assad added that Syria has witnessed 'difficult days' during which a big price from our security, stability and growth was paid because of killing operations, and terrifying the citizens, destroying public and private properties, which took place during popular protests in which scores of citizens, security forces, policemen and armed forces were martyred or wounded; '' this is a big loss for their families, Syria, and a heavy loss for me personally,''
President al-Assad asserted that Syria, throughout all of its history has been facing conspiracies against it for several reasons, some of which are linked to Syria's important geographic and political status and others are linked to its political stances committed to its principles and interests.
'Conspiracies are like germs which increase every moment,' said President Al-Assad asserting that the solution is to enforce the immunity of our bodies investigating the domestic points of weakness as to repair them and that the solution is to sort our problems out by ourselves.
President al-Assad classified the components of what is going on in the street into three categories: the first who have a need, a demand from the State, which is the duty of the Stat to meet, the second is a number of breakers of law and wanted for justice, and the third is those who have an extremist thinking.
''What is going on in the street has three components the first one people who have needs and they want the state to fulfill them, the second component is represented through the outlaws and the wanted due to different criminal cases and they found that state institutions are a target for them because these institutions stand in the face of their interests and because they were dismissed from them so chaos for them a golden chance that they should seize to remain free and boost their illegal acts,'' added President al-Assad.
"The third component is the most dangerous despite of being small and it is represented through those who have the Takfiri extremist ideology which we have experience for decades when it tried to sneak to Syria and it could get rid of it due to its people's awareness and wisdom.''
"We do not find today that the Takfiri ideology is different from that we saw in the past decades but what has changed is the tools, methods and faces…this sort of ideology lies in the dark corners and it immediately appears once it has an opportunity and once it finds a mask. It kills in the name of religion, it sabotages in the name of reform and it spreads chaos in the name of freedom and that is why the escalation and chaos were the correspondent to every reform step announced or achieved and when justifications were lost, the use of weapons was the only choice for them to carry out the scheme,'' al-Assad pointed out.
''In some cases, peaceful marches were taken as a cover where gunmen hide behind. In other cases , the gunmen attacked civilians, policemen and military members through attacking some military spots or sites or through committing assassination operations,'' said President al-Assad asserting that ''Those who have the Takfiri ideology not only distorted the image of homeland outside but also called for foreign interference and tried to weaken the political national stance which is adherent to restoring all the national rights fully.''
President al-Assad said "The response to owners of the extremist ideology came from the Syrian people who moved quickly to prove again their national awareness which exceeds all expectations in light of the unprecedented presumptive campaign.''
President al-Assad added what is happening now by some bodies have no connection with reform and development… what is going on is a mere sabotage and as there is more vandalism as we move away from our developmental targets and aspirations,'' asserting that "We should mend what was damaged and we should rehabilitate the saboteurs or isolate them, then we can continue the development.
President al-Assad added I felt the love of this people who frequently granted me his honesty and support.. and strength and continuity in our political line and resistant approach.''
President al-Assad said ''I felt a huge desire to uproot corruption as a main reason for the lack of equal opportunities and the lack of justice,'' asserting that ''we will not tolerate who is unable to bear responsibility …and success in this regard will only be through finding channels through which the citizens can participate, supervise and point to the mistakes,''
President al-Assad added that ''the national dialogue doesn't mean certain elites or the dialogue of the opposition with the loyalists or the authority, and it is not only limited to politics but it is a dialogue with all spectrum of the Syrian people on all issues of the homeland,'' pointing out that the ''National Dialogue Commission's top priority is to consult with different parties to reach the best form which enables us to achieve our reform project within definite programs and dates… we can say that the national dialogue was the title of the current stage.''
''The urgent demands of people have been implemented before the beginning of the dialogue…we lifted Emergency Law and abolished State Security Court; we issued an organizing law for the right to peaceful demonstration . A committee was formed to set the draft bill for the new election law as another committee was formed to set legislations and the necessary mechanisms to combat corruption,'' said President al-Assad.
''We started a big workshop to modernize and update media and to broaden its freedom space and boost its responsibility as we also worked on setting a draft bill for a new local administration law in addition to giving the Syrian nationality to the Kurds who are registered in the foreign records and forming a committee for studying a new party law,'' added President al-Assad.
"'Equality, justice, transparency and honesty are the future headlines which we aspire for our country. We will have a new parliament in August,'' underscored President al-Assad.
The President emphasized that through the national dialogue any subject will be raised and the upcoming stage is the stage of turning Syria into a construction working team to compensate damages, bridge the rifts and heal thewounds.
His Excellency President al-Assad stressed we will prosecute all those who are responsible for the bloodshed or sought to do that, emphasizing that everyone was damaged and the accountability for that is the state's right as much as it is the right of individuals.
"We want to search for an economic model which suites Syria and achieves social justice," President al-Assad said.
President al-Assad said the application of the law does not mean to take revenge on those who broke the law, without killing or destruction, stressing that the State is like the father and the mother and embraces all based on tolerance and love, not on hatred and vengeance'' asserting that pardoning mistaken people doesn't mean giving up using force when it comes to damage of public interest.
His Excellency explained that the intensive meetings with the popular delegations' allowed him to expand direct communication channels with citizens, saying that he will do his best for such meeting to be continued in the upcoming stage.
President al-Assad made it clear that achieving reforms and development is not an internal need only, but it is a vital necessity for confronting these schemes; therefore we have no choice but to succeed in the internal project as to succeed in our external one.
"I call upon every person of family who left their city to return back as soon as possible. There are those who claim that the State would take revenge, which is untrue hence the Army is there at their service,'' added His Excellency President al-Assad.
President al-Assad said "the people are the most capable of maintaining security… I say that based on experience and reality… The one who protected the country during the critical years and who are protecting it now are the people … They are the youths who confronted, initiated and implemented… a state's strength lies in the strength of the people and their strength lies in their dignity and their dignity lies in their freedom and their freedom lies in the power of their country.''
President al-Assad added Syria's fate is to face plights, yet its fate is also to be strong, resistant and victorious and to get out of these plights stronger, thanks to its cohesive society and its people's determination who were granted awareness, civilization and openness by the Almighty.''
''The solution for the problem is political, but there is no political solution with those who carry weapons,'' underscored President al-Assad.
''When the parties take their roles in the future they will be the channel to transform the popular energy into Productivity,'' added President al-Assad.
to be Continued
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