Syrian President Assad Offers Peace Plan To End The Civil War (Updated)

Assad Outlines Plan For Syria -- Wall Street Journal

BEIRUT-—Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in his first address to the nation in six months, issued a defiant call to war to defend the country and rejected international peace efforts, proposing his own political plan that reforms the government but keeps him in power.

Mr. Assad, whose family's four-decade rule of Syria sparked an uprising in 2011, told a cheering audience the country faced a total war against foreign interests and al Qaeda. He delivered the speech to the audience of hundreds at the Damascus Opera House, in a central district of the capital that has been sealed off by security for months as rebel fighters have encircled Damascus.

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More News On Syrian President Assad's Address To The Nation

Syria's Assad denounces 'puppet' opponents in TV address -- BBC
In Rare Public Speech, Assad Says Syria Has To Defend Itself -- NPR
Syria’s Assad Offers Reforms as Nation Fights ‘Terrorists’ -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Syria’s Assad is defiant in rare speech -- Washington Post
Syria's Assad outlines new peace plan -- Al Jazeera
Assad calls rebels 'enemies of God' -- UPI
Al-Assad touts plan for resolution, says enemies of Syria 'will go to hell' -- CNN
Assad, in Speech, Says Syria ‘Accepts Advice but Not Orders’ -- New York Times
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad delivers rare public speech -- The Guardian
Assad outlines new Syria peace initiative -- AP
Syrian president says he is fighting jihadists -- AP
Assad "peace plan" greeted with scorn by enemies -- Reuters
Turkish foreign minister says Assad repeating empty promises -- Reuters
Hague slams Assad speech as "beyond hypocritical" -- AFP
Takeaway from Assad's speech? There will be no meaningful dialogue. -- Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor