Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has clung to power amid a brutal five-year war, has called on the West to cease supporting rebel fighters if it wants to stop the flow of refugees, and engage with the government in peace talks.
In a rare interview with Australian public broadcaster SBS, Assad spoke about the fractious Syrian ceasefire, described British Brexit leaders as "disconnected from reality" and said he welcomed intervention against ISIS in Syria, as long as it wasn't "window dressing."
At least a quarter of a million people have been killed since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, while almost 5 million Syrians have fled the country, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
A ceasefire was agreed to by all sides in February, with the help of Russia and the United States, although in recent weeks both the government and the rebels have been accused of breaking the truce.
In the interview, Assad said the Syrian refugees wanted to come home and, rather than humanitarian action, the best and "less costly" way for the West to help them was to destroy the rebels.
"Help them go back by helping the stability in Syria, not to give any umbrella or support to the terrorists," he said. "That's what (the refugees) want... Most of them, they didn't leave because they are against the government or with the government; they left because it's very difficult to live in Syria these days."
Saying he was a "very emotional" person, Assad told the journalist he hoped the refugees would come back to Syria one day. "Losing people as refugees is like losing human resources. How can you build a country without human resources?"
Structure of the Lead：
WHO -
WHEN - 2016
WHAT - If the West want to stop the flow of refugees
WHY - not given
WHERE - In Syria
HOW - He will engage with the government in peace talks
Keywords：
1. brutal : (adj.) 殘忍的，冷酷的
2. rebel : (vi.) 造反
3. fractious : (adj.) 難以對待的，易怒的
4. humanitarian : (n.) 人道主義者
5. commissioner : (n.) （政府部門的）長官
6. truce : (n.) 停戰
7. intervention : (n.) 介入，干預
8. stability : (n.) 穩定性
8. stability : (n.) 穩定性
沒有留言:
張貼留言