I have to be very clear and very honest. I'm not asking [ the American officials] to believe if they don't want to believe. This is reality, I'm telling you the reality from our country. We live here, we know what is happening, and they have to listen to people here. They cannot listen only to their media or to their research centers. They don't live here ; no one lives here but us.

Even a president makes mistakes.

We believe that Lebanon has been the first real experience for all the Arabs.

If there is any change regarding that hope, we should ask the Syrian people, not anyone else in the world.

When our interests matched, the Americans have been good to us, and when the interests differed, they wanted us to mold ourselves to them, which we refused.

We are dealing with treachery and threats, which accompanied the establishment of Israel.

Every friend of Syria is looking for peaceful solution, and we are convinced about that. We have this advice, and without this advice we are convinced about it.