Quotes from Bashar al-Assad

This is reality. If [the American officials] want to believe, that's good, that will help them understand the region and be more successful in their policies.

You said treaties, and a Russian official said ; we have not agreement... contracts, that we have to fulfill, and those contracts are like any country ; you buy armaments, you buy anything you want.

Any external support, if you want to call it support, let's use this world, is... how to say... it's going to be additional, but it's not the base to depend on more than the Syrian support.

On the border area with Lebanon where [Hezbollah forces] want to protect themselves and cooperate with us, but they don't exist all over Syria.

Some of these agendas wanted me to quit, very simply, so they said "we have all the guarantees if you want to leave, and all the money and everything you want." Of course, you just ignore that.

I think the most important part of this now is, let's say the American people, but the polls show that the majority now don't want a war, anywhere, not only against Syria.

Despite the ethnic diversity within each nation, the social fabric of the region by and large is one.

But the issue has to do with land, which is our land.

The United States' credibility is at an all-time low. So, this war is against the interest of the Untied States.

I don't believe in war, I believe in the principle of deterrence.

But for us, in Syria, we have principles. We'll do anything to prevent the region from another crazy war. It's not only Syria. Because it will start in Syria.

In any war, people will pay the price.

If you want to talk about mistakes, every country has mistakes, every government has mistakes, every person has mistakes. When you have a war, you have more mistakes. That's the natural thing.

You cannot talk about winning the war as long as there's killing and destruction on daily basis.

Think of the war against terrorism. In my view, Washington's approach can be compared to a doctor constantly banging away at a tumor instead of removing it surgically.

I've never heard of soft war.There's no soft war. War is war. Any war is ruthless. When you fight terrorists, you fight them like any other war.

It would be a mistake to link anything that Israel does to a certain circumstance. And it is a mistake to feel comfortable in any circumstance just because Israel did not act on it.

None of us and none of the Arabs trust Israel.

The problem is not the occupation, but how people deal with it.

Lebanon was under Israeli occupation, up to its capital, but we did not consider that a disaster. Why? Because it was very clear that there are ways to resist.

Circumstances don't matter, only my state of being matters. What state of being are you choosing?

Conversely, it is correct to say that bringing about peace would be the best way to fight terror.

Armies are not only for offensives.

We, in Syria, our point of view stems from our experience.