Syrian Politics Quotes

Syria is a difficult country to govern. Fifty percent of the Syrians consider themselves national leaders, 25 percent think they are prophets, and ten percent imagine that they are God.

The dead cannot speak. But hitherto unknown information has emerged from the confidential archives of the Syrian presidency and foreign ministry, published in a new book by Bouthaina Shaaban, who spent ten years as Hafez's interpreter and is still an adviser to his son Bashar.

We can only talk to those who opt for the sovereign, territorially integral, secular, multiethnic and multi-confessional Syria.

Senator Kerry was fooled by Bashar al-Assad.

President al-Assad and his army are the only force that actually fights ISIS.

There are moderates in Syria who we should be supporting.

Assad owes his continuation in power to the intervention of Russia in 2015 to prop up his regime.

The Assad regime is quite reliant on oil exports.

President Bashar Assad's regime is in the unique position of being targeted both by Israel and supporters of al Qaeda.

Bashar Assad clearly doesn't want to hear anything that impugns his government.

A majority of the Syrian people believe in the regime and support Bashar al-Assad.

I have defended Syria for a long time, so I was admiring Syria, I have admired your president very much. I hope at some point to be able to meet him and shake his hand. I think he is the greatest man in a very difficult period, and especially with what's going on right now, in terms of Lebanon and its relations with Syria. But absolutely, even from my perspective, and it shows you how the Zionist media around the world controls and affects all of us. Even those of us who are aware of it - it's subtly affecting.

Our only goal is to strengthen the opposition and to avoid the dilemma whereby we only have the choice between Bashar Assad and al-Qaeda.

I think Hillary Clinton is right. I think it isn't enough to leave [Bashir] Assad in place, because as long as he is there, there is going to be a recruiting magnet for ISIS.

IS [Islamic State] has played a major role in helping Bashar al-Assad to reposition Syria on the international scene. Now, it is almost impossible to come up with a solution that would exclude him. The political game appears to be very cynical indeed.

There's a different leader in Syria now. Many of the members of Congress of both parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe he's a reformer.

Assad is not the greatest ally to have.

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad belongs to the small Alawite sect and is therefore considered a heretic by many Sunnis; al-Assad runs a secular regime, and therefore he is considered by Sunni militants to be an apostate, and he is inflicting a total war on his Sunni population.

We have always said there are two ways to resolve Syria, and both will end up with the same result: a Syria without Bashar Assad.

The word 'democracy' and the name of Assad do not blend very well in much of Syria.

We can have national dialogue where different Syrian parties sit and discuss the future of Syria. You can have interim government or transitional government. Then you have final elections, parliamentary elections, and you're going to have presidential elections.

The members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria are also part of the Syrian people, and they have the right to exercise their democratic rights.

Seeing Syria remove Assad is a very high priority for America.

The Assad regime has lost the consent of the governed, and it is difficult to see how a replacement Alawite regime would be able to regain this consent.

I just don't understand how Kerry or Obama or anybody else thought Assad was going to change.