With Russian and Iranian military support, Syrian President Assad firmly has the upper hand in the war with rebels who have been trying to topple him with backing from states including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
U.N.-led peace talks in Geneva ended earlier this month with no breakthrough. Assad said he hadn’t expected anything from Geneva. He added that deals brokered locally with rebels were “the real political solutions” since the war began.
The so-called local “reconciliation” agreements are the government’s preferred method for pacifying rebellious areas, and have often been concluded after years of government siege and bombardment.
In some cases, the rebels have been given safe passage to the insurgent-dominated province of Idlib. The opposition says the agreements amount to forced displacement.
“We didn’t expect Geneva to produce anything, but it’s a step and it’s going to be a long way,” Assad said. He added that it would be up to Syrians to decide their future political system, and there would be a referendum on it.
Assad also praised “crucial cooperation” between Syria and Chinese intelligence against Uighur militants who have joined the insurgency against him. He said ties with Beijing were “on the rise”.
China and Russia last month blocked U.N. sanctions on Syria over accusations of chemical weapons attacks during the war.