Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has delivered a rare TV address, denouncing his opponents as “enemies of God and puppets of the West”.
He lamented the suffering of the people in the civil war, saying a “black cloud” of pain engulfed every corner.
Mr. Assad also set out a plan involving a national dialogue conference and a referendum on a national charter.
The UN estimates that more than 60,000 people have been killed in the uprising, which began in March 2011.
The speech was Mr. Assad’s first public address since June.
He rejected the Syrian opposition movement as puppets fabricated by the West, and said that Syria wanted to negotiate with the “master not the servants”.
Mr. Assad said Syria had not rejected diplomatic moves but insisted it would not negotiate with people with “terrorist” ideas.
BBC