Syria’s Al-Assad Wants More Time to Finish-off Rebels

Rather than echoing calls for an end to the 18-months of violence that has left more than 18,000 of his subjects dead, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said on Tuesday that, “…we have not won yet. This will take more time.” Assad dismissed the idea of setting up buffer zones to protect would-be refugees so they would not have to leave Syria for its neighbors, an idea proffered by French President Francois Hollande. Assad told his interviewers that the defections of senior officials and army officers to the ranks of the rebels is a form of “self-cleansing of the government firstly and the country generally.” He also expressed his belief that the majority of Syrians remain supportive of his regime.