14th November, 2015
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Saturday that French policy had contributed to the “spread of terrorism” that culminated in attacks claimed by the Islamic State group which killed 128 people in Paris.
“What France suffered from savage terror is what the Syrian people have been enduring for five years,” Assad reportedly said during his meeting on Saturday with a visiting delegation of French lawmakers, according to the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV.
In a jab at France, the embattled leader said “the wrong policies of the West, including France, in the Arab region have contributed to the spread of terrorism.”
The state news agency SANA cited Assad as telling the French lawmakers that the Paris attacks could not be separated from the deadly bombings that rocked Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Thursday, during which over 40 people were killed, and the five years of Syrian conflict.
The Syrian government has for long accused the West of supporting the insurgency against Assad’s rule, deeming such actions as a “support of terror.”
Assad stressed the importance of adopting new policies that could be efficient in curbing the support of terror groups, by drying up their resources and halting their logistic and political support until finally eliminating them completely.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks, saying the Syrian people know more than anyone else the ugliness of terrorism and what happened in Paris, noting that terrorism constitutes a grave danger on the security and peace in the entire world.
The ministry stressed that “terrorism has no boundaries and will surely rebound on its backers, something which requires uniting all sincere international efforts to eradicate this scourge and correct the wrong policies to achieve an efficient counter-terror effort and preserve the peace and stability in the region and the world.”
About six shootings and at least two explosions rocked Paris late Friday at some of the capital’s most popular venues known for vibrant atmosphere during the weekend.
Local media said the death toll has risen to 128, with 250 people wounded, 99 in critical situation.
The ferocious attacks have been widely condemned across the world.
France has been the target of terrorist attacks following its military offensive in Mali, Iraq and Syria. Its security system has been put at the highest level since the Charlie Hebdo series of attacks in January 2015.