Syria's embattled president said "saboteurs" were trying to exploit legitimate demands for reform in the country.
He said Syria was at a "turning point" after "difficult days," and promised it would emerge stronger in the face of the "plotting" against it.
He added that "a small faction" was causing a lot of damage after infiltrating peaceful protests.
The opposition estimates more than 1,400 Syrians have been killed and 10,000 detained as Assad's forces try to crush the protest movement that began in mid-March, inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.
Protesters insist they will accept nothing less than the downfall of a regime that has held power for more than 40 years[.]
The Foreign Secretary has gone beyond calls on President Assad to show restraint to raise the question of his regime's future after a government clamp down on pro-democracy protests has left 1,400 dead and 10,000 people imprisoned. » | Bruno Waterfield, Luxembourg | Monday, June 20, 2011
