Al-Assad: 'Ba'ath party cleansed itself' and political Islam 'failed'

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has suggested that it is the “persistence” of Damascus in the current crisis that is leading the country to avoid any potential collapse, adding that: “the capital [Damascus] is different than other capitals around the world.”

Al-Assad, who is the regional chief of the Arab Communist Ba’ath Party, also said that his party has become stronger after recent defections, which he described as a “self-cleansing”.

Regarding his observation about Damascus, he explained that: “Partisan work in the capital city needs more understanding of the cultural, knowledge and civilizational stock. The capital is different because it is the keeper of both Islamic and Christian heritage.”

The president said that the persistence of Damascus during the on-going crisis has played a big role in the preservation of the whole country, where a brutal civil war has been raging for almost three years now. “The [Ba’ath party] remained coherent because of the current healthy situation, as much of the self-cleaning took place,” he said.

Al-Assad views the defection of some affiliates as reflective of “the productivity of his party, which is an organisation that produces certain competences.” He also believes that his party is playing a big role in the “ideological battle” inside Syria.

He noted that the current crisis has “classified extremism and at the same time led to the failure of political Islam.”

The role of the Ba’ath party in running the country was clear in the Syrian Constitution before the latest modifications, which were seen by many to be minor formalities rather than substantial reforms. The party is still the main institution exercising power over the country.