Damascus, Jan 11 (ANI): The United States and France have condemned a speech by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in which he blamed a "foreign conspiracy" for the mass uprising against his rule.
The US State Department said Assad had thrown "responsibility on everybody, but back on himself".
"Assad manages to blame a foreign conspiracy that is so vast with regard to the situation in Syria that it now includes the Arab League, most of the Syrian opposition, the entire international community," The BBC quoted State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, as saying.
"He throws responsibility on everybody but back on himself and with regard to his own responsibility for the violence in Syria," she said.
She added that the address confirmed "our view that it is time for him to step aside".
France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also said the speech amounted to "denial of reality".
"It incites violence and confrontation between the parties. It's a sort of denial of reality," Juppe said.
Assad, in his third televised address since protests began in March, said that 'regional and international sides have tried to destabilise the country.'
"Our priority now is to regain the security in which we basked in for decades, and this can only be achieved by hitting the terrorists with an iron fist," Assad added. (ANI)
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