Syria awaits actions, not statements by West: Assad

Damascus, March 16: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, responding to US Secretary of State John Kerry's remarks about "reigniting" negotiations with Damascus, said on Monday that his administration was awaiting action and not only statements from the Western powers, Xinhua reported citing the official SANA news service.

"We are listening to the statements, but we have to wait for the actions and then we can decide," Assad said.

Assad's remarks were an apparent response to Kerry's statement on Sunday that Washington wanted to "reignite" negotiations with Assad to end the conflict in Syria.

"Any international changes would be a positive thing if it was honest and had results on the ground," he said.

Any change in the international policies toward Syria should start first by halting the political support to the terrorists and their funding and armament and heaping pressure on the European countries and the regional countries that are affiliated to the West, Assad said.

"Then we can say that this change has become a real change."

Meanwhile, Assad commented on the prospects of the next phase in Syria, saying that "regarding of the situation in Syria, we don't have a choice but to defend our homeland".

The president added that the Syrian people were the only ones to decide whether their president stayed or left, not the international powers.

IANS