Assad Says Responded To Letter By Pope Francis, Explained Situation In Syria To Pontiff

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2019) Syrian President Bashar Assad has responded to the letter by Pope Francis on the situation in Syria, according to his interview with Italian Rai24 tv channel, shown on Monday by Syrian broadcasters, following the Italian channel's reluctance to air it.

On July 22, Pope Francis sent a special letter to Assad in which he expressed deep concern about the humanitarian situation in Syria, in particular in the province of Idlib. According to Assad, he wrote back about the situation in his country.

"The letter of the Pope was about his worry for civilians in Syria and I had the impression that maybe the picture in the Vatican is not complete ... So, I responded with a letter explaining to the Pope the reality in Syria - as we are the most, or the first to be concerned about civilian lives, because you cannot liberate an area while the people are against you. You cannot talk about liberation while the civilians are against you or the society," Assad said in the interview, as quoted by Sana news agency.

Assad added that he was hoping that the Vatican would play a positive role in convincing a number of countries to cease their meddling in Syria's domestic affairs and violating international law.

The armed conflict in Syria has been raging since 2011. The fight between Assad's forces and different armed groups, including the Islamic State terrorist organization (banned in Russia), has resulted in a considerable part of the Syrian population getting displaced and infrastructure being destroyed. As a result, many have been forced to either leave the country or reside in refugee camps, creating a serious humanitarian crisis. The Catholic Church has often voiced its support for Syria's displaced population, which includes Christian and other religious minorities who face persecution from radical Islamists.