The president of the interim government of Syria, Ahmad Shara, stated that the mass extermination of members of the Alawite sect, to which the overthrown president Bashar Assad belongs, poses a threat to his regime's ability to maintain authority over a war-torn state. He promised to point out the guilty parties in this, even if they are 'very close' to him.
In his first interview with an international news agency four days after the violent clashes between the Alawites and the forces of the new government, Shara highlighted groups supported by Assad, foreign support in response to the incitement of nationalist events, but acknowledged that the aftermath was marked by killings.
"We confirmed that Syria is a sovereign state. It does not matter how close or distant they are to us. There are no distinctions in this regard," Shara said in an interview with Reuters from the presidential palace in Damascus.
"We initially came out against this system and only went to Damascus to help the oppressed people... We do not agree that the blood of the victims was spilled without cause or that this blood left for free without a sign or a card," he added.
