BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned Europe that European countries will “pay the price” if they deliver weapons to foreign-backed militants in the Arab country to overthrow his government.
“If the Europeans deliver weapons, then Europe’s backyard will become terrorist-like, and Europe will pay the price for it,” Assad was quoted as saying by German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
“Terrorists will become battle-skilled and return laden with extremist ideology,” he added.
Assad also dismissed the US, British and French claims that Syrian forces had used chemical weapons against the foreign-backed militants fighting in the country.
“If Paris, London and Washington had even one piece of evidence for their claims, they would have presented it publicly,” he said.
The Syrian President’s comments came after US President Barack Obama ordered his administration last week to provide militants in Syria with weapons, claiming that the Syrian government had crossed Washington’s “red line” for using chemical weapons against the militants.
Both Britain and France have also discussed the prospect of arming the militants, who have been battling to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad for more than two years.
