Syria's president vowed to rid the country of Muslim extremists whom he blamed for a suicide bombing that killed 42 people, including a top Sunni preacher.
Friday's statement by Bashar Assad came hours after the explosion ripped through a mosque in the heart of Damascus, killing Sheikh Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti.
It was one of the most stunning assassinations of the two-year civil war and the first time a suicide bomber struck inside a mosque.
Al-Buti was a staunch supporter of Assad. More than 84 were wounded in the attack.
In the statement carried by Syria's state news agency, Assad says al-Buti represented true Islam in facing "the forces of darkness and extremist" ideology.
Assad says his forces will "wipe out" and "clean our country" of the attackers.
International Positions:
US President Barack Obama says is
very concerned that Syria could become an enclave for extremists.
European Union foreign ministers are divided on whether to start
shipping weapons to rebels in Syria with most insisting that the move
would only make matters worse.
Britain and France, isolated
in their efforts to win EU approval for boosting the Syrian opposition's
firepower, say they hope to edge European colleagues closer to their
position during two days of talks at Dublin Castle that started Friday.
German
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle says he accepts the "good reasons"
behind the Anglo-French position, but that Germany remains reluctant to
put more weapons into the hands of disparate forces fighting to oust
President Bashar al-Assad from power.
Several other foreign ministers back Westerwelle's caution including Ireland, the current EU president.
Meanwhile, French and British foreign
ministers have expressed growing concern over the "apparent willingness of
President Bashar al-Assad to use chemical weapons in the civil war in Syria".
In a letter to EU foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton dated March 21, Laurent Fabius and William Hague said:
"The crisis is increasingly
threatening regional stability... and we are increasingly concerned about the
regime's willingness to use chemical weapons."
AP/REUTERS
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