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Syrian president deems attacks part of "fragmenting scheme" toward his country

19 February 2012 04:31 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Saturday his country is subject to a scheme aiming at fragmenting Syria following two attacks in the country on the same day, APA reports quoting SANA news agency.

State-run SANA news agency said blamed terrorist groups for the attacks.

The scheme also aimed to hit Syria’s "geopolitical and historical role in the region," Assad said when meeting with visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun.

The remark was made a day after the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution that supported calls from the Arab League for Assad to step down.

The two attacks in Syria’s central city Homs and northern province Idlib on the same day that the official SANA news agency blamed on armed terrorist groups seemed to have illustrated Assad’s claims.

A fuel tanker was shelled and set ablaze early Saturday at a refinery in Homs, the epicenter for the ongoing unrest in Syrian. Civil defense workers have put out the fire, and no immediate report was available about whether any casualties were caused by the attack, according to SANA.

Meanwhile in Idlib, a law-enforcement officer was killed and several other wounded as a booby-trapped car was detonated, allegedly by an armed group in Ariha area.

The Syrian government has claimed the attacks were plots by terrorist and foreign-backed armed gangs, and had fueled conflict in the country that had worsened in the past months and is increasingly raising international concern.

Authority figure shows more than 2, 000 army and security personnel have been killed, while UN put the death toll in Syria at around 6,000 since March 2011.

Faced by increasing domestic and international pressure, Assad issued a presidential decree Wednesday that set Feb.26 as the date for a referendum on a new draft constitution, in accordance to demands from protesters.

If passed, the amended constitution stipulates a parliamentary election within 90 days, a limit on presidential terms and an abolition of an article that held the ruling Baath party as the leader of the Syrian nation and society.

Iraq expressed Saturday that it hoped that Syria can take part in an Arab summit that is to be held lat in March in Baghdad.

"We prefer that there will be participation (by Syria), because it opens a page of dialogue away from interference and sectarian atmospheres, and because there is no benefit to anyone if the situation in Syria gets worse," Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki said.

But as Arab League members voted last November to suspend Syria’s participation in the regional bloc due to the violence, Syrian may not be offered admittance to the upcoming summit.

Zhai, who was visiting Syria as an special envoy of the Chinese government, said China is deeply worried about the escalating crisis in the country, which has caused civilian casualties and affected peace and stability in the region.

China urged all political factions in Syria to immediately launch inclusive political dialogue with no preconditions attached, and jointly discuss a comprehensive political reform plan and mechanism, Zhai said.