Syria's Assad says Geneva II conference has no success factors

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said there is not an official date or any success factors for the Geneva II conference on Syria, according to a recent interview broadcast by Lebanese al-Mayadeen TV on Monday. "Officially, there is no date up till this moment," Assad said, adding "there are no factors that could help making it (conference) a success so far." The Syrian leader, speaking with a confident tone, cast doubt over who the opposition parties would represent at the conference, given their real weight and credibility on ground. "Who are the groups that will partake? What is their relation with the Syrian people? Do they represent the Syrian people or the countries that created them?" Assad questioned at a time when the exiled opposition coalition was in disunity and unclear on their participation in the conference. He said Syria has no problem in taking part in the conference, which is designed to bring together the opposition and the government to reach a political solution. "If the financial and arms support for the rebels stopped, there would be no problem in solving the crisis," Assad said. He noted that the crisis in his country has passed through several stages, adding that his administration is now in the stage of fighting al-Qaida and its affiliates. Meanwhile, he said weapons have been smuggled illegally into Syria since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, accusing regional and Arab countries of supporting the current rebels that are fighting his rule. Qatar was the first country to support the armed men in Syria with money, Assad charged, adding that Turkey provided the rebels with logistical support and Saudi Arabia followed their lead. He said Jordan was not involved in supporting the rebels during the early days of the crisis, but started to do so less than a year ago. Slamming Saudi Arabia, Assad said the country "has faithfully implemented U.S. policies," namely "Saudi is publicly supporting the armed groups in Syria with money and weapons as well through political and media means." Taking a swipe at the Muslim Brotherhood, Assad said the group has become more "terrorist" than before. Damascus has been accusing the Gulf states of being behind the rebellion since its start more than two and a half years ago, and Assad had no qualms naming them in the interview. Yet, the president admitted internal problems have opened the gate for regional and international powers to intervene in the Syrian crisis. Regarding the possibility of his running for re-election, despite the West's call for his resignation, Assad said he " personally" does not mind running for the upcoming presidential election in 2014. Meanwhile, he urged the UN-Arab League Joint Representative Lakhdar Brahimi to stick to his tasks only. The president said Brahimi "tried to convince me not to run for the 2014 election and I answered him that this is a domestic affair." Brahimi is currently on a regional tour to garner support for the upcoming conference planned to convene in Geneva in late November. The tour will end in a visit to Syria.