Syrian President Assad Says He Is 'Sleeping Well'

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is seen during an interview with the American magazine Foreign Affairs published in Damascus January 26, 2015. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters

The Australian/The Times: Syria’s dead children don’t keep me awake, says Bashar al-Assad

His face stares out impassively from billboards and posters on ­almost every corner and building in Syria, mostly in dark shades and military fatigues. Yet in person the slim figure in navy suit, white shirt and blue tie, drinking tea with British guests in a small wood-panelled reception room in his Ottoman palace on Mount Qasioun, looked like a businessman.

Outside, as dusk fell on Damasc­us where Halloween parties were getting under way in the lively Old City, the war seemed far away, even though two districts of the capital remain under rebel control.

Within days, however, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies are expected to launch a terrifying final onslaught on the besieged eastern half of Aleppo, which has already seen death and destruction almost ­beyond imagination.

In an exclusive interview, Assad insisted he regrets nothing and has no option but a military solution. “We’ve announced we’re ready for reconciliation with all those who put down arms,’’ he said.

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Update #1: President Assad laughs and says he sleeps fine when asked about all the children killed in Syria (The Independent)
Update #2: Assad says West growing weaker in Syria (Times of Israel)

WNU Editor: He can boast that he sleeps well, but he now has the appearance of someone who looks gaunt, tired, skinny, and who has lost a lot of weight in the past 5 years. Meanwhile the battle for Aleppo resumes .... Aleppo ceasefire goes up in flames: President Assad's warplanes resume their bombardment of the Syrian city (Daily Mail).