Charlie Rose’s Full Interview with Bashar al-Assad

CBS News’s Charlie Rose sat down with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the weekend.

Charlie Rose’s Assad Interview

Source: The Daily Beast »

Charlie Rose Interviews Syria's Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus

Bashar Assad tells Charlie Rose U.S. should "expect every action" in response to Syria strikes Charlie Rose interviewed Syria's president Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday.

Charlie Rose Interviews Syrian President Assad

As the debate over military action in Syria roils U.S. politics, CBS News' Charlie Rose previews his interview with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Assad Warns of ‘Regional War’ in French Interview

FRANCE 24: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told a French newspaper Monday that military intervention from France and the United States could set off a “powder keg” and “regional war”, while denying his forces had used chemical weapons.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told French daily Le Figaro Monday that the use of nerve gas against targets in rebel-held parts of Syria would have been “illogical”, while warning that an attack on his country could set off a “regional war”.

In excerpts of an interview to be published in full in Tuesday’s edition of the newspaper, Assad challenged French President François Hollande and US President Barack Obama to provide convincing proof that he had used weapons of mass destruction against his own people.

"Those who make accusations must show evidence,” he told Le Figaro. “We challenge the United States and France to do this. Obama and Hollande have been incapable of doing this, including for their own people.” (+ video) » | Tony Todd | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Bashar al-Assad on Turkish TV – Full Interview

Bashar al-Assad latest interview on Ulusal Kanal, a Turkish television station.
Full interview with English voice-over.

Bashar al-Assad Interview: 'Show Me the Proof of Regime Chemical Attack'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bashar al-Assad challenged the West to provide "the slightest proof" he has used chemical weapons against his people in his first reaction to allegations that his forces killed more than 1,400 people in a gas attack on August 21.

The Syrian president issued a dire warning that any Western military intervention could lead to "regional war" and would harm "the interests of France".

"Whoever accuses must provide proof. We have challenged the United States and France to provide the slightest proof. (US President Barack) Obama and (French president François) Hollande have been incapable (of doing so) even to their own people," Assad told French newspaper Le Figaro in an exclusive interview.

He questioned the "logic" of claims that his forces carried the August 21 attack outside Damascus, which the US said killed 1,429 people.

"Supposing our army wishes to use weapons of mass destruction. Is it possible that it would do so in a zone where it is located and where (our) soldiers were wounded by these arms, as United Nations inspectors have noted during visits to hospitals where they were treated? Where is the logic?," he asked.

Describing the Middle East as a "powder keg" whose "fuse is getting shorter", he warned it would "explode" if Western forces struck Syria. "Nobody knows what will happen (after such strikes). Everyone will lose control of the situation when the powder keg explodes. Chaos and extremism will spread. The risk of a regional war exists," he warned. » | Henry Samuel, Paris and Jon Swaine in New York | Monday, September 02, 2013

LE FIGARO: La mise en garde d'Assad à la France » | Par Georges Malbrunot | lundi 02 septembre 2013

My comment:

All this talk of war, and absolutely no convincing proof of who perpetrated this crime against humanity in the first place. Cameron and Obama et al continue with their 'conviction' that it was Bashar Al-Assad. But was it? It could just as easily have been the rebels.

If Obama launches a war against Syria without convincing proof, and it turns out in years to come that it wasn't Bashar Al-Assad after all who perpetrated this crime, then Obama will be the war criminal.

It seems to me that we in the West need to step back from the brink, and assess the whole thing with a cool head.

What is to be achieved by striking Syria? What is to be achieved by toppling Bashar Al-Assad? I'll guarantee you now, if Bashar Al-Assad is toppled, Syria will become a haven of Islamic fundamentalists. It will be turned into a theocratic state à l'Iran, and the Christian community there will suffer greatly. Hasn't the West inflicted enough damage on the Christian communities of the Middle East already?

Then there is the problem of the possible escalation of conflict. The whole region will be turned into a war zone. And what guarantees do we have that this regional conflict won't spread westward, eastward, northward, and southward? World wars have been started by far less aggression.

Moreover, it seems to me that we need to listen to our senior military men. Some of them have come out firmly against military aggression already. – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

Ahmadinejad: West Wants Syrian Crisis to Spread, Aims to Re-shape Mideast (RT Exclusive)

Western nations are stirring up a hornet's nest in Syria because peace is not playing into their hands. That's one of the things Iran's outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told RT during an exclusive interview in Moscow. (July 2, 2013)

Germany: Exclusive Interview with Bashar Al-Assad
Watch the interview here [Übersetzt] | Sunday, July 08, 2012
ARD 1: Rückschau – Syrien Exklusiv-Gespräch mit Syriens Präsident Assad » | Sonntag, 08. Juli 2012

President Obama Interview Prior to Superbowl XLVI
The president talks to Matt Lauer about today's game, Iran, and the state of his presidency

President Obama: The Full "60 Minutes" Interview

US 'Would Repeat Bin Laden Raid'
BBC: The US President Barack Obama has spoken exclusively to the BBC's Andrew Marr ahead of his visit to the UK and Ireland.

The president spoke about the raid in Pakistan which led to the death of Osama Bin Laden, and Afghanistan's future.

Andrew Marr also asked Mr Obama what it was like meeting the Queen. (+video: Full Interview) » | Andrew Marr | Sunday, May 22, 2011

Here is the full transcript of the BBC's interview with President Barack Obama. »

A World View Interview with [the Great] Benjamin Netanyahu
Channel 2 and YouTube bring you a special interview with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, in which citizens ask questions about the peace process, unrest in the Middle East, and more

Libya - Muammar Gaddafi Interview - TV Eye
Extracts from an exclusive 'TV Eye' interview of Libyan Leader, Colonel Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi. In this 1981 interview the Gaddafi speaks about the USA, terrorism and also his feelings on the assassination of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
Watch the interview here

Talk to Jazeera - Muammar Gaddafi (September 25, 2009)
Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2009. His 96-minute speech, which broke the alloted 15-minute protocol, marked the first time he addressed the international body since leading a coup in 1969 which ended rule by monarchy in Libya and brought him to power. In an interview with Al Jazeera's Ghida Fakhry, Gaddafi repeated his belief that a two-state solution is not a feasible approach to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bringing peace in the Middle East

Exclusive Interview With Saif Gadhafi
Christiane Amanpour speaks to the Libyan leader's son in a worldwide exclusive

Kadhafi: "C'est moi ou Al-Qaïda"
leJDD.fr: En exclusivité mondiale, le chef d'Etat libyen a reçu, samedi, deux envoyés spéciaux du JDD dans son QG de Tripoli. Retrouvez ici des extraits de cet entretien exceptionnel, publié dimanche dans le JDD nouvelle formule.

LA MENACE TERRORISTE 

"Quand il y a eu la confusion en Tunisie et en Egypte (…) Al-Qaida a donné instruction à ses cellules dormantes en Libye de faire surface (…) Les jeunes ne connaissaient pas Al-Qaida ni l’idéologie de cette organisation. Mais les membres de ces cellules vont jusqu’à leur donner des pilules hallucinogènes. (…) Aujourd’hui, ces jeunes ont pris goût à ces pilules et pensent que les mitraillettes sont comme une sorte de feu d’artifice."

"Je m’étonne vraiment que l’on ne comprenne pas qu’il s’agit ici d’un combat contre le terrorisme (…) Nos services de renseignement coopèrent. Nous vous avons beaucoup aidé ces dernières années! Alors pourquoi lorsque nous sommes dans un combat contre le terrorisme ici en Libye on ne vient pas nous aider en retour!"

"Il y aura un Djihad islamique en face de vous, en Méditerranée (…) Les gens de Ben Laden viendront imposer des rançons sur terre, et sur mer. On reviendra au temps de Barberousse, des pirates, des Ottomans qui imposaient des rançons sur les bateaux. Ce sera vraiment une crise mondiale et une catastrophe pour tout le monde." LE RÔLE DE LA FRANCE DANS LA CRISE >>> Laurent Valdiguié, Le Journal du Dimanche | Samedi 05 Mars 2011

"Kadhafi a peur"

leJDD.fr: "Aujourd'hui, Kadhafi a peur" : Envoyé spécial du JDD à Tripoli, Laurent Valdiguié raconte au JDD.fr sa rencontre avec Mouammar Kadhafi. >>> La Rédaction, leJDD.fr | Dimanche 06 Mars 2011

«Ob andere uns glauben, spielt keine Rolle» : Islamkritiker Geert Wilders über Freiheit und westliche Werte
NZZ ONLINE: Die niederländischen Lokalwahlen werden als Gradmesser für die Popularität des Rechtspopulisten Geert Wilders und von dessen Partei für die Freiheit (PVV) betrachtet. Der Brüsseler NZZ-Korrespondent Peter Winkler hat mit Wilders gesprochen.

Herr Wilders, Sie haben mit Ihren Aussagen zum Islam einigen Aufruhr ausgelöst. Gegen Sie läuft auch ein Gerichtsverfahren wegen Diskriminierung, Beleidigung einer Gruppe und Anstachelung zu Hass. Worum geht es für Sie?

Es geht um Freiheit. Das ist auch der Grund, warum ich meiner Partei den Namen «Partei für die Freiheit» gegeben habe. Ich glaube, es ist nicht nur unser Recht, sondern unsere Pflicht, für die Freiheit zu kämpfen. Ich glaube, dass der Islam – nicht Muslime, das möchte ich betonen, ich habe nichts gegen Menschen – als Ideologie eine Bedrohung für unseren Rechtsstaat, unsere Demokratie und unsere Freiheit ist. Darum geht es, dafür kämpfe ich, und deshalb bin ich auch vor Gericht.

Freiheit, alles zu sagen?
Wenn man für die Freiheit kämpft, ist es dann egal, was man sagt?

Nein, natürlich gibt es Grenzen. Ich glaube sehr an die Freiheit, an so etwas wie das First Amendment in der amerikanischen Verfassung, und es wäre schön, wenn dieses auch nach Europa exportiert würde. Aber selbst dann muss man Leute bestrafen, die zu Gewalt aufrufen oder Andere diskriminieren, wie zum Beispiel Ladenbesitzer, die sagen: Christen oder Juden oder Muslime sind nicht erwünscht. Man soll sagen können, was man denkt, aber nicht: «Tötet diesen Mann!»

Es gibt diese rote Linie, aber darüber hinaus, davon bin ich überzeugt, sollte man nicht mehr viel verbieten. Die Leute sollten sich verteidigen können. Wenn wir als Politiker nicht zu Gewalt aufrufen oder diskriminieren, sollte die Diskussion im Parlament geführt werden, nicht vor Gericht. Das Gericht sollte kein Korrekturmechanismus sein für Dinge, die man nicht hören will oder mit denen man nicht einverstanden ist. >>> Interview: win. | Mittwoch, 03. März 2010

Das gesamte Interview mit Geert Wilders lesen Sie morgen im Auslandteil der NZZ.

Richard Dawkins Interviews Muslim (Former Jew)

Nicolas Sarkozy Confronts Radio Host over Question to Carla Bruni
THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy has confronted a radio presenter who asked his wife, Carla Bruni: "Would you love him so much if he wasn't President of France?"

French first lady Carla Bruni Sarkozy (looking less than glamorous) speaks to journalist Marc-Olivier Fogiel on Europe 1 radio station. Photograph: The Telegraph
Mr Sarkozy is said to have cornered the outspoken radio host, Marc-Olivier Fogiel, at an awards ceremony at the Elysee Palace.

The President was described by witnesses to have "stormed up" to the surprised DJ to defend his wife's honour.

The stand-off came after Mr Fogiel interviewed the French First Lady on his chat show on radio station Europe 1 last week.

He reminded listeners how Mr Sarkozy met Bruni on a blind date at a Paris dinner party more than two years ago, then proposed on Christmas day after a two-month whirlwind romance.

He then bluntly questioned about her love for the 54-year-old President.

The stunning 41-year-old former supermodel replied simply: "That's a bit of a stupid question."

At the Elysee Palace this week, Mr Sarkozy was heard to have told Mr Fogiel: "I don't appreciate the way you spoke to my wife. It was a clumsy question. I won't forget about it." >>> | Saturday, December 12, 2009