“CBS This Morning” co-host Charlie Rose got an interview today with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This is Assad’s first TV interview since President Obama asked Congress to approve the use of force against the Syrian regime for use of chemical weapons. Rose, now in Beirut, called in to “Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer
“He denied that he had anything to do with the attack. He denied thad he knew, in fact, that there was a chemical attack, notwithstanding what has been said, and notwithstanding the videotape. He said there’s not evidence to make a conclusive judgment. He would not say, even though I read him the lead paragraph of the New York Times today, in a story about their chemical weapons supply. He said ‘I can’t confirm or deny we have chemical weapons.’ He did say, if we do in fact have them, and ‘I’m not saying yes or no.’ they’re in centralized control, so no one else has access to them.”
When Rose asked him if he expected an attack, he responded, “I don’t know.”
The interview will air tomorrow on “CBS This Morning” and on Rose’s PBS show tomorrow night.