President Assad: Southern Syria First Defense Line in Face of ’Israel’

President Bashar al-Assad, Regional Secretary General of Al-Baath Arab Socialist Party, met on Monday the party’s leaderships in Daraa, Sweida and Quneitra provinces on occasion of the 67th anniversary of the party foundation.

During the meeting, President al-Assad said al-Baath Party was targeted by attempts to sully its image since the beginning of the crisis, but this didn’t weaken it; rather it made it stronger as it constitutes an essential base in national work.

President al-Assad said that Syria’s southern provinces, other than being the natural incubator of al-Baath Party, have formed, for decades, the first line of defense in the face of Israel, which explains the massive support provided by the Israeli enemy to terrorist groups that commit crimes against the people of these provinces and other Syrian citizens.

The President asserted that al-Baath Party is an ideological party, which distinguishes it from other parties, and as long as it remains ideological then the future remains open to it on the condition that it continues to develop its performance both on the level of individuals and on the level of devising policies and strategies as to protect the country.

President al-Assad underlined the importance of continuing and bolstering the national reconciliation process and for Al-Baath to play a pivotal role in it, saying “when we are strong inside, all that happens or is plotted abroad is meaningless.”

He stressed the need for citizens’ concerns and issues to be at the forefront of the concerns of party members and for them to take initiative to ensure providing citizens’ livelihood needs.

The President underlined the need to bolster relations between party leaderships and bases and establish clear mechanisms and standards to ensure that bases select their representatives in the People’s Assembly and local administration councils.

He said that the spread and expansion of a party isn’t done only by increasing the numbers of its members, but also by attracting more supporters to its ideals and policies through dialogue and persuasion and selecting qualified party members who have good standing and reputation in their social circles.

The meeting included extensive discussions on organizational, services, and livelihood issues, with discussions affirming the importance of national reconciliation, combating terrorism, supporting the Army and Armed Forces, and bolstering security and stability, in addition to underlining the growing public awareness of the true nature of the aggression taking place which helped uncover its pawns inside Syria and abroad and prompted many to return to the path of the homeland.