Full SBS interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad available now
Friday, 1 July 2016
Full SBS interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad available now
The exclusive interview aired tonight on Australian network SBS
SBS’s exclusive interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus has aired tonight on Australia television, covering a wide range of critical global and regional issues.
In the interview, which took SBS World News reporter Luke Waters two years to secure, President Assad says the solution to the conflict in Syria is obvious: dialogue. But he says that this is impossible because of outside interference in the conflict.
He tells Waters that his forces could easily conquer the IS capital Raqqa but he is wary of how Turkey, who he accuses of supporting IS, will respond.
Also in the interview, President Assad denies reports of recent clashes between his army and Hezbollah north of Aleppo, and says Russia and Iran are not propping him up but are rather defending their own interests. In addition, he rejects allegations of brutal human rights violations.
The interview covers diverse issues including Brexit, the Assad government’s “back channel” contact with the US government, the potential for co-operation with the US in Syria, and accusations of western government duplicity.
Friday evening’s SBS special also included analysis from the former Australian Ambassador to Syria, Bob Bowker.
The full SBS special is now available at SBS On Demand: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/716262979573