Damascus, Syria
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied claims by a United Nations commission of inquiry that Syrian security forces killed hundreds of anti-government protesters and that he was responsible for the deaths.
The president said he has not ordered anti-government protesters' killing in the nine-month-old crackdown. Speaking to ABC News veteran journalist Barbara Walters in a rare interview, Assad said that he was not in charge of the forces that ordered the crackdown.
The president told Walters, "I'm president. I don't own the country, so they're not my forces. There's a difference between having a policy to crack down and between having some mistakes committed by some officials. There is a big difference."
Responding to Assad's claims, United States State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the Syrian leader had had several opportunities to end violence.
Speaking at a news briefing, he said, "I find it ludicrous that he is attempting to hide behind some sort of shell game (and) claim that he doesn't exercise authority in his own country."
"There's just no indication that he's doing anything other than cracking down in the most brutal fashion on a peaceful opposition movement," Toner added.
Twitter: @ihavenet
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