Assad: I Will Not Give Up Power
19-1-2014 – MESOP – President Assad has said the issue of his departure is not up for discussion at Wednesday’s “peace” conference in Switzerland. – “If we wanted to surrender we would have surrendered from the start,” Assad told Russian MPs in Damascus. The President said he was surprised at the refusal of domestic opposition groups to go to the talks in Montreux. Syrian State media later said Assad’s quotes “are not accurate” and that he “did not conduct an interview” with Interfax.