Staged Gas Attacks & US Shortcomings: US Senator Tells Sputnik About Syria Trip
SputnikNews.com
10.09.2018
US Senator Richard Black in an exclusive interview with Sputnik, revealed how the Syrian people see their president, what went wrong with the US policy in the Mideast and also expressed his admiration for the state of human rights in the country, as “Syria has the greatest women’s rights and the greatest religious freedoms of any Arab country.”
Black, a Republican member of the Virginia State Senate, has recently returned from Syria, where he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and discussed recent developments in the country.
Sputnik: You recently met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. What was your general opinion of the man and how accurately is he represented in Western media?
Richard Black: This is the second time that I’ve met with President Assad. We had a 45-minute schedule and we ended up talking for three hours. The last time he was optimistic, he was determined. This time there was almost a spring in his step. He was quite joyous and happy.
I think, like all Syrians, he realizes that unless the West gets involved in a very malign fashion, the War will end rather soon. I think all Syrians are ready for that, but he seemed very upbeat and very happy.
You asked about how he is portrayed in the media. People in Syria know that he is a very humble individual. There is almost a touch of shyness about him. Incredibly intelligent and very devoted to his people.
He doesn’t have an imperial presidency like we have and many Western countries have. When he suddenly goes to a religious ceremony, whether it’s for the Muslims or the Christians, he drives himself, in his own SUV. He doesn’t have an escort and people love him for this.
There has never been one attempt on President Assad. And he says: if the Syrian people wanted me out, soldiers would march in one day, they would say: Mr. President, it’s time for you to leave, pack up your things, we are going to escort you out; you are no longer the president. And he would say: I accept that, it’s the will of the people.
The Rest…HERE
