BICOM

Spokesmen for a number of US government bodies reacted strongly yesterday to an interview given by beleaguered Syrian President Bashar Assad to the ABC News Network. In the interview, conducted in English, Assad denied responsibility for the shooting of protesters in Syria. The Syrian president appeared at times confused, laughing in response to questions and saying that despite the fact that he was president, he did not ‘own’ the security forces and therefore could not be held responsible for all their activities. Assad also said that only a government led by a ‘crazy person’ would kill its own people.

US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner called Assad’s remarks ‘ludicrous’ and repeated the US call for him to stand down. A statement by National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor, meanwhile, noted that the Syrian regime was relying increasingly on its armed forces and security apparatus to put down protests, and that therefore the regime itself was responsible for the increase in armed resistance which is currently taking place.