By Vittorio Hernandez

Damascus, Syria

While neighboring Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi has apparently fallen from power, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad insisted on Monday that his government will not suffer the same fate despite months of protests similar to what is happening in Libya.

Assad rejected international calls for his to step down from power and even plans to call for a parliamentary election in February, and also hold a review of the Syrian charter.

Assad criticized U.S. and European demands for him to step down and called them colonialist western nations that want to meddle into Syrian internal affairs. He said he would not permit that, including any military action against Syria.

More international pressure will be exerted on the Syrian government as the UN Human Rights Council is expected to approve a resolution that would condemn Assad's regime for suppressing dissent and violating the human rights of protesters. The council will meet in Geneva to tackle the Syrian situation.

The months of political dissent and protest actions have resulted in the death of more than 2,500 Syrians. Reports said that on Friday, another 40 people were added to the death toll.

Assad countered that U.S. President Barack Obama and other western leaders who called for his resignation should be the ones to step down from office. He blamed them for the spill of blood in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

On Monday, a UN delegation arrived in Syria to study the humanitarian needs of residents. The Syrian governments assured the UN team they could visit all problematic areas.

Assad told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon last week that Syria's security operations has halted, but the government is still cracking down on rebels.

 

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World - Assad Rejects International Calls to Resign | Global Viewpoint