Assad says more time needed to resolve crisis

DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that more time is needed to win the "regional and global battle" amid intensifying international diplomatic efforts over the Syria crisis.

During an interview with the pro-government Addounia TV aired Wednesday evening, Assad said the situation in Syria is "practically better" and the military showdown "needs time."

"We're fighting a regional and global battle and must have more time to resolve (it)," he said.

He said the Syrian troops are striving for ending one of the most complicated battles, and the anti-government parties have not succeeded in injecting fear into his heart or the hearts of the Syrian people.

Assad said anyone who has made mistakes or seeks to prolong the crisis should be held accountable for what they did.

Meanwhile, he also held that the Turkish government should be responsible for the blood that has been shed in Syria, in reference to Turkey's role in supporting armed insurgents in the country.

Referring to the suggestion of building a no-fly zone, Assad said talks about imposing buffer zones in Syria are "unrealistic."

According to UN estimates, the 18-month unrest against President Assad in the Middle East country has killed more than 18,000 people and forced more refugees to flee to neighboring countries, and thus the UN Security Council planned to hold a ministerial meeting concerning the humanitarian situation in Syria on Thursday, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Wednesday.

UN Deputy-Secretary General Jan Eliasson will brief the 15-nation council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, the spokesman said.

"The UN high commissioner for refugees, Antonio Guterres, will also be on hand to provide information to the council," he added.

The number of Syrian refugee arrivals at the Za'atri Camp in Jordan has doubled in the last week, and "a much larger influx" of refugees is expected in the coming days, Haq said on Tuesday.

The Syria issue is also among the subjects of the talks between the Iranian officials and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to attend the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.

Ban said Iran can play an important role in the resolution of the regional conflicts, including the peaceful settlement of the Syria crisis, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani also asked for the active involvement of the UN secretary-general in tackling the regional and the Syria conflicts, and Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi added the reforms in Syria should be implemented without foreign intervention.

Also on Wednesday, a US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Beth Jones attended a meeting on Syria in Rome, Italy, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Nuland said the meeting, attended by some 17 countries, would discuss "three of the lines of work," namely the support for the Syrian opposition to hasten the day when Assad goes, the refugee issues and the preparation for the post-Assad period.

Meanwhile, Russia condemned Wednesday the violence in Syria, and insisted all those guilty of the recent "crimes," including a reported massacre on Sunday in a town near the capital of Damascus and terrorist bombings on Tuesday that killed at least 12 people in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, should "go on trial and be punished severely."

Russia also reiterated its stance that there is no alternative to former UN-AL special envoy on Syria Kofi Annan's peace plan and the Geneva agreements.