Assad vows to preserve Syria's sovereignty

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to preserve Syria's sovereignty and independence as Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy to Syria, visited the country to seek ways to end the crisis.

Assad said on Monday that he is eager to make any efforts successful as long as they come within the framework of preserving Syria's sovereignty and independence and serve the interests of the Syrian people.

Assad made the remarks when meeting with Brahimi to discuss the latest developments in Syria.

Syria's state-run SANA News Agency reported that Brahimi briefed Assad on the outcome of his recent efforts to help find a solution to the Syrian crisis, describing their meeting as "cordial and constructive".

Brahimi said after the meeting that he and Assad exchanged opinions about future steps to help the Syrian people exit from the crisis.

Brahimi did not disclose the proposals on how to solve the crisis but said "the situation in Syria is still worrying", and he urged all parties to move ahead.

The international envoy reached Syria's capital, Damascus, on Sunday to meet Assad, government officials and some opposition factions. Brahimi denied that Assad originally didn't want to meet him but accepted his visit under Russia's mediation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow on Monday that the Syrian government has ensured Russia that it will not use chemical weapons under any circumstances.

"Every time we hear rumors that the Syrians are doing something with chemical weapons, we double-check, we triple-check, we go directly to the government, and all the time we get very firm assurances that this is not going to be used under any circumstances," Lavrov said in an interview with the Russia Today TV channel.

It would be "political suicide" for the Syrian government if it uses chemical weapons, Lavrov said.

Meanwhile, Lavrov criticized the Western notion that if the rebels gain control of the chemical weapons, it would still be the fault of the Syrian government.

In a separate development, Kuwait will host an international conference next month to address to Syrian crisis, the ruling emir said on Monday, as foes of Assad voiced frustration with international efforts to end the civil war.

In Damascus, the Syrian opposition vented its anger at what it called a "silence" over the unabated killing of civilians by government forces, most recently in the central town of Halfaya.

Assad is under growing pressure from rebel forces in the 21-month war that activists say has killed more than 44,000 people.

Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al Sabah, said the conference for Syrian donors would be held in late January in response to an invitation by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"The Syrian wound is still bleeding, and the killing machine still continues, killing dozens of our brothers in Syria each day", the emir said at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain.

Last week, the United Nations appealed for $1.5 billion to help save the lives of millions of Syrians suffering in a "dramatically deteriorating" humanitarian situation. The appeals are to help 4 million people within Syria and up to 1 million Syrian refugees in five other countries until next July.

Xinhua-Reuters