Syria's Assad vows to
"Resist, right till the end, the world will see", he said in an interview
with Turkish daily Cumhuriyet
In the latest installment of a lengthy interview, president Bashar
al-Assad underscored his refusal to bow to economic and political pressure,
submitting "We are not going to give in for a couple of dollars. They can
raise sanctions as much as they like, but they are not going anywhere. People
on the street know that." Assad went on to say "I will not sell my honor
and national sovereignty for a piece of bread”.
For its part, Russia
said on Friday that it “categorically” rejected the idea it was siding with
Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the Syria conflict, after Moscow’s position was
slammed at the Friends of Syria meeting in Paris.
“I categorically reject the formulation that Russia supports (President) Bashar
al-Assad’s regime in the situation that has developed in Syria,” Deputy Foreign
Minister Sergei Ryabkov said following tough criticism from U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton and other top Western diplomats.On the ground, anti-regime
activists say Syrian forces have killed at least 25 people, arrested scores
more and torched dozens of homes while seizing a northern city from rebels.
Osama Kayal from the city, Khan
Sheikhoun, said Friday that local fighters repelled an army advance early this
week, destroying at least six army vehicles and killing the soldiers inside.
Kayal said he knew of 25 people
who had been killed since Wednesday, but there could be many more.
This raid and other violence
reported around Syria on Friday led many activists to dismiss the importance of
a meeting by the U.S. and its international partners in Paris to discuss
further sanctions against President Bashar Assad.
Meanwhile, clashes erupted Friday morning throughout
Damascus following Thursday's violence which reaped a toll of 90 people
throughout the country according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
This as the Syrian opposition called for nationwide demonstrations under the
banner of "The People's Fight for Liberation".
Protests were held in many Syrian
cities as international diplomats met in Paris to put pressure on Syrian
President Bashar Assad.
A fire broke out at a refugee
camp for Syrian refugees in southern Turkey on Friday, killing two Syrian
children and injuring six, a Turkish foreign ministry official said.
The fire started after a gas bottle used
for cooking exploded at the Yayladagi refugee camp, one of several in Hatay
province which borders Syria, the official said, adding the fire had since been
extinguished.
REUTERS/AP/LBCI