Song: Charlie Rose Interview
Viewed: 36 - Published at: 8 years ago
Artist: President Bashar al-Assad
Year: 2013Viewed: 36 - Published at: 8 years ago
[Rose]
What was the reality on August 21st? What happened, in your judgment?
[Assad]
We were not in the area where the alleged chemical attack happened. As in "alleged": we are not sure that anything happened--
[Rose]
Even, to this day, you are not sure about chemical weapons. Even though you've seen the video tape, even though you've seen the bodies, even though your own officials have been there.
[Assad]
No, no-- I haven't finished. Our soldiers in another area were attacked chemically. Our soldiers. They went to the hospitals as casualties, because of chemical weapons. I've been to the area where they said the government used chemical weapons. We only had video, we only have pictures, and allegations. We're not there. Our forces, our police, our institutions don't exist. How can you talk about what happened if you don't have evidences? We're not like the American administration: we're not a social media administration, or government. We are a government that believes in reality. (?)
[Rose]
Well, as you know, Secretary Kerry has said there is evidence that they saw rockets that fired from a region controlled by your forces into a region controlled by the rebels. They have evidence from satellite photographs of that, they have evidence of a message that was intercepted about chemical weapons, and that soon thereafter there were other intercepted messages. So Secretary Kerry has presented what he concludes as conclusive evidence.
[Assad]
No, he presented with confidence, and he presented his convictions. But it's not about confidence: it's about evidence. The United-- sorry, the Russians have completely opposite evidence that the missiles were thrown from an area where the rebels controlled.
That reminds me, about what Kerry said, about the big lie that Colin Powell said in front of the world on satellites about the WMD in Iran before going to war. He said, "This is our evidence." Actually, he gave forth evidence. In this case, Kerry didn't even present any evidence. He talked, "We have evidence," and he didn't present anything. Not yet, nothing so far. Not a single shred of evidence.
...
[Rose]
There is an intense discussion going on about all the things we’re talking about, in Washington. If there’s a strike it’ll emanate from the United States’ decision to do this. What do you want to say in this very important week in America and Washington, to the American people, members of Congress, to the President of the United States?
[Assad]
I think the most important part of this now--the polls show that a majority now don’t want war, anywhere, not only against Syria. But the Congress is going to vote in a few days and I think the Congress is elected by the people to represent the people and work for their interests. The first question they should ask themselves: what do wars give America? Nothing. No political gain, no economic gain, no good reputation. United States is at all-time, credibility is at all-time low. So this war is against the interests of the United States. Why? They said the war is going to support al Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September.
The second thing that we want the Congress to ask, and what we expect them to ask the administration about the evidence that they have regarding the chemical story and allegations that they presented. [...] We were disappointed by their behavior recently because we expected this administration [to be] different from Bush’s administration. They are adopting the same doctrine with different accessories. So we expect from this administration, not to be weak but to be strong, to say that we don’t have evidence, that we have to obey international law, that we have to go back to the Security Council and the United Nations.
[Rose]
The question remains: What can you say to the President who believes chemical weapons were used and were used by your government, that this will not happen again--
[Assad]
I will tell you very simply: present what you have as evidence to the public, be transparent--
[Rose]
And if he does? If he presents that evidence…
[Assad]
This is where we can discuss the evidence, which he doesn’t have. He didn’t present because he doesn’t have. Kerry doesn’t have. No one in your administration have. If they had it, they would have presented it to you as the media--
[Rose]
They have presented it to the Congress--
[Assad]
Nothing. Nothing was presented.
[Rose]
They have shown the Congress what they have, what evidence they have, from satellites to intercepted messages and the like.
[Assad]
Nothing was presented. Nothing has been presented so far.
[Rose]
They have presented it to Congress, sir.
[Assad]
You are a reporter; get this evidence and show it to the public in your country.
[Rose]
They’re presenting it to the public’s representatives. You don’t show your evidence and what you’re doing and your plans to the people within your own council. They’re showing it to the people’s representatives who have to vote on authorization to strike, and if they don’t find the evidence sufficient--
[Assad]
First of all, we have the precedent of Colin Powell ten years ago when he showed the evidence--it was false and it was forged. This is first. Second, you want me to believe American evidence and don’t believe the indication we have. We live here.
[Rose]
Will there be attacks against American bases in the Middle East if there’s an airstrike?
[Assad]
You should expect everything. You should expect everything. Not necessarily through the government; the government’s not the only player in this region. You have different parties, you have different factions, you have different ideologies . You have everything in this region. So you have to expect that.
[Rose]
Tell me what you mean to “expect everything.”
[Assad]
Expect every action.
[Rose]
Including chemical warfare?
[Assad]
That depends. If the rebels or the terrorists in this region or any other group have it, it could happen, I don’t know. I’m not a fortune teller to tell you what’s going to happen.
[Rose]
But we’d like to know more, and I think the President would like to know more, and the American people would like to know: If there’s an attack, what might be the repercussions and who might be engaged in those repercussions.
[Assad]
Before the 11th of September, in my discussions with many [???] of the United States, many of them are Congressmen, I said, “Don’t deal with the terrorists as playing games.” It’s a different story. You’re going to pay the price if you’re not wise in dealing with the terrorists. We said, there are going to be repercussions of the mistaken way of dealing with it, of treating the terrorism. But nobody expected the 11th of September. So it is difficult for anyone to tell you what is going to happen. It’s an area where everything is on the brink of explosion. You have to expect everything.
What was the reality on August 21st? What happened, in your judgment?
[Assad]
We were not in the area where the alleged chemical attack happened. As in "alleged": we are not sure that anything happened--
[Rose]
Even, to this day, you are not sure about chemical weapons. Even though you've seen the video tape, even though you've seen the bodies, even though your own officials have been there.
[Assad]
No, no-- I haven't finished. Our soldiers in another area were attacked chemically. Our soldiers. They went to the hospitals as casualties, because of chemical weapons. I've been to the area where they said the government used chemical weapons. We only had video, we only have pictures, and allegations. We're not there. Our forces, our police, our institutions don't exist. How can you talk about what happened if you don't have evidences? We're not like the American administration: we're not a social media administration, or government. We are a government that believes in reality. (?)
[Rose]
Well, as you know, Secretary Kerry has said there is evidence that they saw rockets that fired from a region controlled by your forces into a region controlled by the rebels. They have evidence from satellite photographs of that, they have evidence of a message that was intercepted about chemical weapons, and that soon thereafter there were other intercepted messages. So Secretary Kerry has presented what he concludes as conclusive evidence.
[Assad]
No, he presented with confidence, and he presented his convictions. But it's not about confidence: it's about evidence. The United-- sorry, the Russians have completely opposite evidence that the missiles were thrown from an area where the rebels controlled.
That reminds me, about what Kerry said, about the big lie that Colin Powell said in front of the world on satellites about the WMD in Iran before going to war. He said, "This is our evidence." Actually, he gave forth evidence. In this case, Kerry didn't even present any evidence. He talked, "We have evidence," and he didn't present anything. Not yet, nothing so far. Not a single shred of evidence.
...
[Rose]
There is an intense discussion going on about all the things we’re talking about, in Washington. If there’s a strike it’ll emanate from the United States’ decision to do this. What do you want to say in this very important week in America and Washington, to the American people, members of Congress, to the President of the United States?
[Assad]
I think the most important part of this now--the polls show that a majority now don’t want war, anywhere, not only against Syria. But the Congress is going to vote in a few days and I think the Congress is elected by the people to represent the people and work for their interests. The first question they should ask themselves: what do wars give America? Nothing. No political gain, no economic gain, no good reputation. United States is at all-time, credibility is at all-time low. So this war is against the interests of the United States. Why? They said the war is going to support al Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September.
The second thing that we want the Congress to ask, and what we expect them to ask the administration about the evidence that they have regarding the chemical story and allegations that they presented. [...] We were disappointed by their behavior recently because we expected this administration [to be] different from Bush’s administration. They are adopting the same doctrine with different accessories. So we expect from this administration, not to be weak but to be strong, to say that we don’t have evidence, that we have to obey international law, that we have to go back to the Security Council and the United Nations.
[Rose]
The question remains: What can you say to the President who believes chemical weapons were used and were used by your government, that this will not happen again--
[Assad]
I will tell you very simply: present what you have as evidence to the public, be transparent--
[Rose]
And if he does? If he presents that evidence…
[Assad]
This is where we can discuss the evidence, which he doesn’t have. He didn’t present because he doesn’t have. Kerry doesn’t have. No one in your administration have. If they had it, they would have presented it to you as the media--
[Rose]
They have presented it to the Congress--
[Assad]
Nothing. Nothing was presented.
[Rose]
They have shown the Congress what they have, what evidence they have, from satellites to intercepted messages and the like.
[Assad]
Nothing was presented. Nothing has been presented so far.
[Rose]
They have presented it to Congress, sir.
[Assad]
You are a reporter; get this evidence and show it to the public in your country.
[Rose]
They’re presenting it to the public’s representatives. You don’t show your evidence and what you’re doing and your plans to the people within your own council. They’re showing it to the people’s representatives who have to vote on authorization to strike, and if they don’t find the evidence sufficient--
[Assad]
First of all, we have the precedent of Colin Powell ten years ago when he showed the evidence--it was false and it was forged. This is first. Second, you want me to believe American evidence and don’t believe the indication we have. We live here.
[Rose]
Will there be attacks against American bases in the Middle East if there’s an airstrike?
[Assad]
You should expect everything. You should expect everything. Not necessarily through the government; the government’s not the only player in this region. You have different parties, you have different factions, you have different ideologies . You have everything in this region. So you have to expect that.
[Rose]
Tell me what you mean to “expect everything.”
[Assad]
Expect every action.
[Rose]
Including chemical warfare?
[Assad]
That depends. If the rebels or the terrorists in this region or any other group have it, it could happen, I don’t know. I’m not a fortune teller to tell you what’s going to happen.
[Rose]
But we’d like to know more, and I think the President would like to know more, and the American people would like to know: If there’s an attack, what might be the repercussions and who might be engaged in those repercussions.
[Assad]
Before the 11th of September, in my discussions with many [???] of the United States, many of them are Congressmen, I said, “Don’t deal with the terrorists as playing games.” It’s a different story. You’re going to pay the price if you’re not wise in dealing with the terrorists. We said, there are going to be repercussions of the mistaken way of dealing with it, of treating the terrorism. But nobody expected the 11th of September. So it is difficult for anyone to tell you what is going to happen. It’s an area where everything is on the brink of explosion. You have to expect everything.
( President Bashar al-Assad )
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