(Vatican Radio) Syrian president Bashar-al Assad has told Russian television that
his country is an important buffer between the west and more extreme Islamic nations.
Assad, whose country is in the midst of a violent civil war, told Russia Today
that he was a Syrian who would not flee the country.
Meanwhile, the Syrian
National Council is facing a key decision on whether to join other groups in a more
unified opposition.
The proposed Syrian National Initiative aims to merge the
disparate military and political groups to form a credible alternative to the Assad
government.
Listen to regional correspondent Nathan Morley’s full report: