Syria’s embattled President Bashar Assad says he will not leave his country.
Mr Assad told Russia TV he will “live and die” in Syria.
His comments come two days after British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that Mr Assad could be allowed safe passage out of the country if that would guarantee an end to the nation’s civil war.
Mr Assad spoke in English with Russia Today TV. Excerpts of the interview were posted on the TV station’s website today, with an Arabic voice-over.
Mr Assad says he is not a puppet of the West.
He says: “I am Syrian, made in Syria, and I will live and die in Syria.”