Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                    Assad: 'Defeat Does Not Exist' for Syria

   by VOA News

   Syria's president, in a speech broadcast live on state television
   Sunday, acknowledged that the military has given up some regions of the
   country as it battles insurgents, and offered justification as to why.

   "We must define the important regions that the armed forces hold onto
   so it doesn't allow the collapse of the rest of the areas," President
   Bashar al-Assad said. "We are not collapsing . . . Defeat does not
   exist in the dictionary of the Syrian Arab army."

   But the ranks of the army are dwindling through deaths, defections and
   increased draft dodging, something the president acknowledged.  "There
   is a lack of human resources" in the army the Syrian leader said in his
   Sunday morning address in the capital, Damascus.

   Syria's government forces have been pushed out of most of the
   northwestern province of Idlib and important areas of the southern
   border region.  The militant Islamic State group is in control of the
   ancient city of Palmyra.

   "The army cannot be on every part of the territory," President Assad
   said.  "We will resist . . . the armed forces are capable of defending
   the motherland."

   U.N. estimates say fighting in Syria has killed at least 220,000 people
   and displaced more then 11 million others - many internally - since the
   conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests before
   growing into a civil war after a government crackdown.  The situation
   in Syria is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/assad-says-defeat-doesnt-exist-for-sy
   ria/2878931.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/assad-says-defeat-doesnt-exist-for-syria/2878931.html