This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19671635

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Syria uprising: Assad says Arab Spring brought chaos Syria uprising: Assad says Arab Spring brought chaos
(about 1 hour later)
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has told an Egyptian magazine that the Arab Spring uprisings only brought chaos and that the Syrian rebels cannot win.President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has told an Egyptian magazine that the Arab Spring uprisings only brought chaos and that the Syrian rebels cannot win.
The only solution to the crisis in Syria was dialogue, he said, speaking in a rare interview for the weekly al-Ahram al-Arabi. In a rare interview with the weekly al-Ahram al-Arabi, he said "both sides of the equation" were equal and that dialogue was the "only solution".
He insisted that his government would not fall like that of the late Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. Mr Assad insisted that his government would not fall like that of the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
At least 20,000 people have died in Syria's conflict, the UN estimates. His comments came as fresh fighting was reported in the second city of Aleppo.
On Thursday, a government warplane attacked a petrol station in the north-east of the country, killing at least 30 people, opposition activists said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces backed by helicopter gunships had clashed with rebels near the Hananu army barracks in the north-eastern Arkoub district.
Speaking from his office in the capital Damascus, Mr Assad said: "Change cannot be achieved through foreign intervention." The nearby area of Sakhour and central district of Bustan al-Qasr also came under attack overnight, the UK-based activist group added.
"Both sides of the equation are equal and political dialogue is the only solution," he told the magazine. It said at least 225 people - 140 civilians, 39 rebels and 46 security forces personnel - had been killed on Thursday, including more than 30 when a government warplane bombed a petrol station in Raqqa province.
Rebels 'not popular'
Mr Assad has not made public pronouncements for some time. But in his interview with al-Ahram al-Arabi there was no sign of flinching from the course he and his regime have taken, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.
"The armed groups exercise terrorism against the state. They are not popular within society... they will not be victorious in the end," he said.
His government would not fall, and change would not come about through foreign intervention or the removal of leaders.
There would be no repeat of the Libyan experience in Syria, he insisted.
The overthrow of Arab regimes, Mr Assad said, had "not worked in the interest of freedom, democracy or ending social injustice as much as it helped create chaos".
"Both sides of the equation are equal and political dialogue is the only solution," he added.
"Violence, however, is not allowed... and the state will not stand with its hands tied in the face of those who bear arms against us.""Violence, however, is not allowed... and the state will not stand with its hands tied in the face of those who bear arms against us."
Mr Assad has not made public pronouncements for some time. But in his latest interview there was no sign of flinching from the course he and his regime have taken, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from Beirut. Our correspondent says the president was also bitterly scathing about the role of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in supporting the opposition.
"Those have suddenly become wealthy after very long period of poverty," Mr Assad said. "They imagine they can use their wealth to buy the geography, history and a regional role."