I've made mistakes - Assad

Syria’s President Bashar Assad has admitted that he has made mistakes and no side in his country’s civil war is entirely free of blame, according to a German magazine.

In an advance version of an interview to be published tomorrow, Der Spiegel also quotes Assad as saying he does not believe in a negotiated peace with armed opposition groups.

The Syrian leader reportedly told the weekly that he had not yet decided whether to run for the presidency again when his term ends in August.

Today, Der Spiegel quoted Assad as reiterating his insistence that government forces were not responsible for the chemical weapons attack near the capital, Damascus, on August 21.

The Syrian conflict began in March 2011 as protests against Assad’s regime, evolving into a civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people.