Roundup: Syria's Assad hails Iran, Hezbollah roles in fight against rebels

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that Iran has presented military expertise to Syria, while the Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah group fought with the Syrian army.

"Iran has only presented military expertise and our faithful brothers in the Lebanese resistance fought with us," Assad said during a speech he delivered Sunday and aired by the Syrian TV, referring to Hezbollah.

"The Lebanese resistance has an important role and we are grateful for their courage, strength and backing us," the president said, in his first explicit acknowledgment in the backing of Iran and Hezbollah to his administration in the face of a ferocious insurgency.

They have the important role in backing the Syrian army because they have the experience, he added.

"The blood of our brothers in the Lebanese resistance has mingled with the blood of their brothers in Syrian army and they have the important role and efficient performance with the army in making achievements in many places," he said.

Yes, the Syrian army is capable and with comfort to confront the threats and protect the homeland, he stressed.

In a jab to western reports about a large wave of draft dodgers in Syria, Assad said reporting to the service has increased in recent months.

"The Syrian Armed Forces have made several achievements," he said.

Commenting on the presidential pardon for draft dodgers, Assad said "there is no collapse in the Syrian army and the people are joining the army and we will stand and achieve victory," he said, adding that he issued the pardon to help those who averted the military service to return.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, said a day earlier that over 70,000 people averted to report to the mandatory military service in Syria.

"The word defeat is not mentioned in the dictionary of the Syrian army," Assad said, in an apparent lift of the spirit of the Syrian army.

WEST'S "HYPOCRISY"

Meanwhile, the president charged that the Western powers' handling of terrorism is still marred with "hypocrisy."

"The West deals with terrorism with hypocrisy because it's a terrorism when it hits them but a revolution and democracy and human rights when it hits us," Assad said, in an apparent response to the recent wave of terrorist attacks that hit some European countries and lately Turkey.

He said the change in the Western stances cannot be relied upon as long as they are still dealing with the regional developments and threats with double standards.

"Whoever wants to battle terrorism must adopt policies based on prudence, justice, and the respect of the peoples' will in determining their destination and handling their own issues," Assad said.

"Our main stance was to positively respond to any initiative we receive regardless of their intentions because the blood of the Syrians is upon any consideration and ending the war is a priority," Assad said.

He said the Syrian government has made many initiatives to quell the conflict, such as issuing many amnesties and making new laws.

"The initiatives that we make are not articles in the press but an actual work on ground," he said, adding that "the only initiative they accept is when we give them the homelands and their masters, something that they will not get."

Any political proposal that is not essentially based on countering and ending terrorism will not see the light, he said, adding that "all we have is to counter terrorism, that is the only option we have." Endit