Saana, June 20 (ANI): Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said "saboteurs" were trying to exploit legitimate demands for reform in the country.
The Telegraph quoted Assad as saying that "a small faction" was causing a lot of damage after infiltrating peaceful protests.
Although he acknowledged that Syria was at a "turning point" after facing "difficult days," he promised that it would gradually emerge stronger.
The opposition has estimated that over 1,400 Syrians have been killed and 10,000 detained as Assad's forces tried to crush the pro-democracy protestors since mid-march.
Protesters have been strongly demanding Assad's ouster, who has ruled the country for more than 40 years.
Reports suggest that over 10,000 Syrian refugees have already crossed into Turkey and Turkish, and another 10,000 are trying to cross through the border just inside Syria in the olive groves and rich farmland around the town of Jisr al-Shughour.
Mean while, Syrian human rights campaigners have accused the army of stopping those still inside Syria from leaving.
"The Syrian army has spread around the border area to prevent frightened residents from fleeing across the border to Turkey," one of them said. (ANI)
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