In a speech given at the graduation ceremony of a new class of Syrian pilots yesterday, General Ali Khabib, the Syrian chief of staff, declared, "Be prepared to fend off all external aggression that seeks to harm the homeland" and added, "maintain a high level of readiness and always be ready for the homeland's calling".
"Syria will never relinquish its right to return occupied land," the general continued. "As President Bashar al-Assad emphasized, Syria is interested in gaining back of all of its rights - including the return of all of its territory and sovereignty."
During his speech-a month-and-a-half after an IAF raid deep into Syria-Khabib also attacked the US: "The mask has been removed from the real intentions of the US and her allies in their invasion of Iraq. This has allowed Arabs to understand the Zionist plans and plots in the region and has made clear that talks about peace and about a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are not genuine and are merely attempts to market what is being referred to as a 'peace conference," he said.
The general concluded by saying that "they are neglecting the main principle of the conflict in their attempts to solve it-the need to end the Zionist occupation of conquered Arab territory in accordance with international resolutions." Source:Lekarev Report
