Hopes of an International Peace Conference to end the conflict in Syria anytime soon is dimming after Syria's President Bashar al-Assad announced in Damascus that no political solution will be sought until after the "terrorists" are crushed.
Assad said that the insurgents can be crushed in a matter of months and praised the recent advancements that his military forces have made in beating back the rebels. This recent turnabout came only after Lebanese Hezbollah joined in the fight alongside Syrian troops in the two-year-long war.
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The war began in March of 2011 when demonstrators took to the streets demanding democratic reforms. It was then that government troops opened fire on the demonstrators and the battles began that have taken the lives of over 100,000 Syrians.
Assad said in his announcement, “How can we put an end to this battle and turn the table on others and restore security and stability? It is through this way… unity between the army and people to terminate terrorism,” He continued saying, “No solution can be reached with terror except by striking it with an iron fist.”
Russia and the United States had previously pushed for peace talks that were to take place in June. U.S. diplomats say that any peace talks are now unlikely.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed disappointment with Assad on Monday and reaffirms that he feels that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria.