Assad: Our aim is to eliminate terror not to take revenge.

Assad: Our aim is to eliminate terror not to take revenge.

In an interview the Syrian president Assad asserted that the Syrian ruling regime was prepared to take the initiative and express tolerance to a number of movements including the Muslim Brotherhood.

After the Hama massacre in1982, which 30,000 Brotherhood members were killed by Syrian army, most of the movement’s leaders and members went abroad. Syria is known to be "the most oppressive and ruthless regime" towards the Muslim Brotherhood movement that is one of the widespread movements in Muslim world.

Twenty five years later a statement was issued by the Muslim Brotherhood, declaring an initiative to freeze activities against Syrian regime because of its support for Hamas and Hezbollah. This initiative was considered to be an opening for dialogue and reconciliation between the movement and the regime by political analysts. This promoted the meeting of some of the highly ranked brotherhood leaders to meet with Turkish officials demanding mediation for general amnesty and reconciliation between the movement and the regime.

The Brotherhood highlighted issues mainly demanding a general amnesty for thousands of Brotherhood members still in detention claiming that their only expectation from the Assad regime is to "acknowledge democratic, legal and human rights and the granting of permission for all exiles to return home unconditionally". They also sent a message to the Syrian government: "If you do not talk and reconcile with moderate groups like us, radical ones get stronger".

Leaders of the movement asserted that they would like to return to Syria and continue their opposition in a democratic environment since the government adopted the death penalty to those who joined the movement.

Assad claimed that if movements were prepared to abandon terrorist activities, then we must accept and afford protection to them, he confirmed that "a state should pardon, because our aim is to eliminate terrorism, not to take revenge"