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Assad says possible Russia-U.S. cooperation positive for Syria

Xinhua, February 8, 2017 Adjust font size:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said a cooperation between Russia and the United States would be positive, not only for Syria, but the entire world as well, state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.

Speaking to Belgium reporters in Damascus, Assad said the remarks of U.S. President Donald Trump were "promising," as Trump regarded the war on terror, mainly the Islamic State (IS) group, in his presidential campaign, while also noted that it's still too soon to judge such remarks.

He said that prioritizing fighting terror as mentioned by Trump was what the Syrian government has been calling for since the beginning of the war in Syria six years ago.

Assad's remarks came as President Trump has made clear in his campaign that he would cooperate with Russia in the war on terror, but that hasn't been materialized yet, at least publicly.

Russia also seems to favor Trump over his processor, pertaining to the need to put an end to the growing threat of the terror-designated groups in Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that his country believes that the efforts of the Trump administration in fighting terrorism will be more efficient than that of former President Barack Obama.

For his part, Assad pointed out "two components" for peace, the first is fighting terrorism and halting all support to it, and the second is the intra-Syrian talks to determine the future of the country.

As for his presidency, Assad said that the Syrians can choose their president through the ballot boxes and by the constitution, adding that if the Syrian people are to choose another president, "I will be out of this post."

He said the Assad dynasty, which ruled Syria for 46 years, doesn't own the country, adding that his presidency wasn't inherited, or predetermined by his late father, former President Hafez Assad.

He stressed that he was elected and that "could be a coincidence."

Meanwhile, the president renewed accusations of the Western countries, mainly Britain and France, for supporting the "terrorist" groups in Syria. Endit