Syrian president vows no choice but victory even at high price

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Monday that his administration has no choice but to win, noting that the price of victory is high.

Speaking during his meeting with the Lawyers Syndicate in Damascus, Assad said the Syrian war is an "external" one, adding that the Syrian state withstood big challenges during the crisis.

One of the big challenges, Assad noted, is the brain drain, translated by the immigration of the Syrians to foreign countries, which is now known as the refugee crisis.

Meanwhile, the president said that countering terrorism and achieving national reconciliation are the basis for the solution, noting that the current constitution of the country is the "protector of the state and its people."

"Any transition must be done in accordance to the current constitution, which will still be valid until we reach a new one," he said, in apparent response to the call by some regional countries for his ouster.

Moreover, the president stressed that the Syrian government deems everyone holding arms in the face of the Syrian army as a "terrorist."

Regarding talks about a possible Saudi and Turkey military intervention in Syria, Assad said that some countries could "commit follies," noting that Saudi Arabia and Turkey are not the decision makers, but the Western powers. Endit