The US and France have condemned a speech by Syria's president Bashar al-Assad - his
first public remarks in months - in which he blamed an "external conspiracy" for the
mass uprising against his rule. Assad said international powers were trying to destabilise
Syria, and vowed to crush "terrorists" with an "iron fist". US state department spokeswoman
Victoria Nuland said, "Assad manages to blame a foreign conspiracy that is so vast
with regard to the situation in Syria that it now includes the Arab League, most of
the Syrian opposition, the entire international community." The United Nations reports
that hundreds of people have been killed in Syria since an Arab League team arrived
there to monitor the situation in late December.