Syria’s Assad says he won’t negotiate with ‘terrorists’ as U.S. wants

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the United States and Saudi Arabia wanted “terrorist groups” to join peace talks proposed by world powers, and that nobody in Syria would accept such talks, during an interview transcript published by state media.

Asked whether he would be willing to join negotiations called for by world powers by Jan. 1, he said: “They want the Syrian government to negotiate with terrorists, something I don’t think anyone would accept in any country.”

“Whenever they want to change their approach, give up the armaments, we are ready, while to deal with them as a political entity, this is something we completely refuse,” he said in response to another question about whether he would be willing to negotiate with opposition groups that met in Riyadh this week.

source:Reuters