Assad won't negotiate with 'terrorists'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he is ready for the Geneva-II conference on Syria, stressing, however, that he will not negotiate with "terrorists".

"We don't have conditions except that we reject to negotiate with terrorists" before they lay down weapons and renounce calls for foreign intervention, Xinhua quoted Assad as saying in an interview with the state-run Tishreen newspaper.

He was answering a question on whether his administration had any preconditions ahead of the planned internationally-backed conference that is likely to be held in Geneva in mid-November.

"The main condition is that the solution should be a Syrian one and the dialogue is political... but if the dialogue was with weapons so why would we go to Geneva," he remarked during the interview which was published Sunday to mark the 40th anniversary of the October War, the 1973 war fought by a coalition of Arab states against Israel.

Sounding a firm stance, Assad said the biggest victory for Syria could be achieved by winning over the foreign-backed terrorism.

"Yes, we can achieve this victory... and the first and bigger victory today is for us to eliminate the terrorists," he said.

"What is important is to believe in this victory... when faith exists inside all of us that we are capable of achieving victory, certainly we would achieve that victory."

The Syrian administration refers to the armed rebels as "terrorists" especially after reports that Al Qaeda-linked groups have joined them.

As the president made it clear that he would not negotiate with "terrorists", the armed rebels on the ground also stated that they did not want talks with the Assad government.