Foreign intervention' impossible' in Syria

The Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdel Kerim, has reiterated the stance of President Bashar al-Assad's regime that there is an "international conspiracy" against Syria, saying it wanted to "weaken and topple the Syrian regime". He also cited last week's attack on the national security headquarters in Damascus, which killed four senior officials, saying: "The last crime of targeting Syrian leaders proved the role of international intelligence in the operation...the crime only served to greater inspire the Syrian military to purge these terrorist groups." "The Syrian forces' retake of Damascus from the rebels has proved that they are ready to face anything," he said. In an interview with the "el-Kawthar" satellite channel aired from Beirut, Ali said: "The militants planned to portray that the Syrian regime was close to collapse, but the military sent a message saying it will protect Syria's sovereignty and find a final solution without retreating." Regarding the Russian and Chinese veto against UN sanctions on Syria, he said: "The veto reflects Syria's power and the love the Syrian people have for President Assad, which is why Russia and CHina support us...Syria is key to stability in the Middle East, and Russia and China are convinced that if the country collapses into smaller states, it will threaten international security and support the interests of the US and Israel." He said reports of the US increasing its aggression without the support of the UN Security Council were exaggerated, stating that external military acts against the regime were "destined to fail". Kerim said he believed the US wanted to use military power against his country, but it would not be able to because of internal opposition to the move and neighbouring Turkey's own involvement in the crisis. "Syrians support their homeland, and foreign powers will consider this face before attacking," he said. Ali previously called for stringent measures on the Lebanon border following shooting incidents across the frontier toward Syria, in remarks published by a local daily Thursday. “The Lebanese Army is working hard to control border violations, but we hope they will take harsher measures in their pursuit of gunmen,” Ali told Al-Liwaa. Ali blamed “armed outlaws” on the Lebanese side of the border for the shootings, which “prompted the Syrian army to respond to the source of fire.” The Syrian envoy also commented on accusations that he violated diplomatic norms when he responded to word that President Michel Sleiman had instructed Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour to lodge a protest with Syria over the latter’s repeated border violations. “I did not insult the president. I only said that I am surprised by his request to issue a protest letter because Syria is under daily attack by gunmen on the Lebanese side,” Ali said. On Wednesday, Mansour sent a memo to his Syrian counterpart calling on Lebanon’s neighbor to avoid a repeat of incursions into Lebanese territory. Shortly thereafter, Ali returned the favour and objected to Lebanese violations in his own memo the same day.