Syria denies reported Assad quotes

Syrian state media dismissed as “not accurate” a report by news agency Interfax that president Bashar al-Assad told visiting Russian officials that he has no intention of giving up power and that the issue is not up for discussion.

Assad was quoted as telling the parliamentarians — days ahead of an internationally sponsored peace conference on Syria that “if we wanted to give up, we would have done so at the very beginning. We are on guard for our country. This issue is not up for discussion”.

Syrian state television said the Assad quotes on Interfax “are not accurate”. It also said Assad “did not conduct an interview with the agency”, although Interfax had not said that it had.