Stop supporting terrorists: Syrian president to EU

Moscow, Sep 15 (IANS/EFE) European Union countries will slow the flood of refugees if they stop supporting terrorists in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday in an interview with Russian media.

"If you are worried about them, stop supporting terrorists. That's what we think regarding the crisis. This is the core of the whole issue of refugees," the Syrian president said.

He called on all Syrians to be united in the fight against terrorism, pointing out that "only through dialogue and the political process can we reach political goals that Syrians should set for themselves".

"If we ask any Syrian today about what they want, the first thing they would say - we want security and safety for every person and every family," al-Assad said, urging all political forces, both in government and outside, to unite to achieve the demands of the Syrian people.

The Syrian president noted that dialogue should continue in order to reach a consensus, adding that "If you want to implement anything real, it's impossible to do anything while you have people being killed, bloodletting hasn't stopped and people feel insecure."

--IANS/EFE

pm/