Assad warns West not to take action against Syria

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last night insisted his regime was in no danger of collapse and warned against foreign military intervention in his country as the regime tries to crush a five-month-old popular uprising.

In his fourth public appearance since the revolt against his family’s 40-year rule erupted in mid-March, Mr Assad insisted that security forces were making inroads against the uprising.

“It may seem dangerous … but in fact we are able to deal with it,” he told state-run TV in a 40-minute interview.

The Syrian leader has been criticised over the brutal military offensive that has used tanks, snipers and gunboats to try to crush the uprising.

On Thursday, the United States and its European allies demanded he step down, and on Saturday, former ally Turkey called Syria’s situation “unsustainable”.

Human rights groups and witnesses accuse Syrian troops of firing on largely unarmed protesters and say more than 2,000 people have been killed.

In the interview, Mr Assad also said he expected a parliamentary election to be held in February 2012, along with a series of reforms that would let political groups other than his Ba’ath party participate.

Mr Assad’s remarks were unlikely to have much resonance with Syria’s opposition, which says it has lost all confidence in Mr Assad’s overtures for reform while his security forces open fire on peaceful protesters.

He warned against Libya-style intervention, saying there will be “repercussions” to any country interfering in Syria’s affairs.

“Any action against Syria will have greater consequences [on those who carry it out], greater than they can tolerate,” he said.

Elsewhere, a Western diplomat said a UN team assessing humanitarian needs arrived in Damascus late on Saturday and started work yesterday. The team has received permission to visit some of the centres of protest and crackdown, including Latakia, Homs, Hama and Daraa.

He said: “In Latakia they are sweeping glass and stones up and scrubbing blood off the streets. But any attempts to … destroy evidence can only backfire on this isolated regime.”