Syria: Assad warns ‘infection of chaos’ can strike critics

SYRIAN president Bashar al-Assad has said countries trying to “sow chaos” in Syria could be infected with it themselves, an apparent warning to Arab Gulf nations that back the insurgency aimed at forcing him from power.

Mr Assad said countries hostile to him and his government that may have believed he would follow in the footsteps of four Arab leaders ousted after popular protests now knew better.

“For the leaders of these countries, it’s becoming clear that this is not ‘Spring’ but chaos, and as I have said, if you sow chaos in Syria you may be infected by it yourself, and they understand this perfectly well,” he told Russia’s Rossiya-24 TV channel yesterday, in his first interview in nearly six months.

He said the decision by the Syrian National Council to boycott parliamentary elections earlier this year discredited the opposition group.

“To call for boycotting the elections, that’s the equivalent of calling for a boycott of the people,” he said.

Mr Assad said religious extremists and al-Qaeda members from abroad were among the forces fighting his government.

“There are foreign mercenaries, some of them still alive. They are being detained and we are preparing to show them to the world,” he said.

It was significant that the interview was given to Russia state media. Russia has been Syria’s most powerful ally over the course of the uprising, selling weapons to the regime and blocking action against Damascus at the UN Security Council.

The Assad regime’s crackdown on a popular uprising has left thousands dead and prompted international condemnation. More than 200 UN observers have been deployed to monitor a cease-fire agreement.