Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has outlined a new peace initiative, including a national reconciliation conference and a new government and constitution, but demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming rebels first. The president was speaking on Sunday in a rare address to the nation, his first since June. He spoke to a packed hall at the Opera House in central Damascus, and the audience frequently broke out in cheers and applause. Assad ignored international demands for him to step down and said he is ready to hold a dialogue with those “who have not betrayed Syria”. Assad said his nation is in a “state of war”. He stressed … Continue reading Al Jazeera