As he affirmed there was a foreign plot which has been targeting Syria, President Bashar al-Assad voiced his determination to fight terrorism.

As he affirmed there was a foreign plot which has been targeting Syria, President Bashar al-Assad voiced his determination to fight terrorism.

Addressing the parliament for the first time since May 7 elections, President Assad said: The masks have fallen and the international role in the Syrian events is now obvious," Assad said, adding that the elections were the perfect response "to the criminal killers and those who finance them.”

Assad also paid tribute to civilian and military martyrs of the violence in Syria, saying their blood was not shed in vain.
"We are not facing a political problem but a project to destroy the country," Assad said, adding that the “sensitive circumstances which Syria has been facing necessitate us to be more courageous and strong.”

Meanwhile, the Syrian leader said the regime was ready for a national dialogue, but warned that national security was a red line.
“We are always ready for national dialogue…. (but) national security is a red line which we can’t be lenient with.”

Referring to the May 7 elections, he said: "Syria is open to all Syrians regardless of their views but terrorism cannot be part of the political process and we must fight against terrorism to heal the nation."

Assad also hoped that the “blood (which has fallen)would have fallen on the border, however the enemy now is inside.”

Talking about Houla massacre that claimed the lives of more than one hundred lives, President Assad stressed the Syrian armed forces didn’t committed the massacre, assuring: “Houla crime committed by monsters.”