France is ‘supporting terrorism’, says Syrian President Bashar

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused France of “supporting terrorism” and said he saw Prague as a possible venue for signing any future peace deal to end his country’s four-year civil war, in comments that have broadcast on TV.

In an interview which was expected to be aired on Czech TV in full late on Tuesday, the Syrian strongman was asked whether he could see a peace deal being signed in Prague, as Czech President Milos Zeman had suggested in September.

“Naturally, if you ask Syrians they will tell you they don’t want a peace conference in France, for example, because France supports terrorism and war, not peace,” he said on the CT public station.

“And as you mention Prague, it would be generally accepted because of the balanced position of your countr,” he added.

As the last diplomatic ou-tpost of the West in Syria, the Czech embassy has bec-ome a hub for confidential US and EU communication with the Damascus regime amid moves aimed at ending the four-year conflict.

France has been adamant in its opposition to Mr Assad, describing him as a “butcher” of his own people and on Monday foreign minister Laurent Fabius said that working with the Syrian Army to fight ISIS was not on the cards until he was removed.