Safe zones not 'realistic,' Syrian president tells news outlet

President Bashar al-Assadrejected the creation of safe zones for refugees and displacedpeople in Syria, an idea supported by U.S. President DonaldTrump, in an interview with Yahoo Newsreleased on Friday.

He signalled he would welcome co-operation with Washington inthe fight against the group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), however, as long as the UnitedStates took a "clear political position" on Syria's sovereigntyand unity.

Assad has cautiously welcomed the new U.S. administration'sfocus on fighting the jihadists, in which Trump has held out thepossibility of co-operation with Damascus ally Russia.

Under former U.S. president Barack Obama, the United Statescalled for Assad's departure and supported rebels fighting tounseat him.

The Syrian government has rejected the creation of safezones, favoured by rebel backers including Qatar, which couldratchet up U.S. military involvement in Syria.

"This is where you can have natural safe zones,which is our country. They don't need safe zones at all. It's not a realistic idea at all,"Assadsaid.

Stability 'more viable' than safe zones

"It's much more viable, much more practical and less costlyto have stability than to create safe zones."

Assad said safe zones would be at risk of attack from armedgroups.

The United Nations also rejects safe zones, sayingconditions in Syria, where battles rage on between multiplesides, are not suitable.

Trump has not provided details about the proposed safezones, except to say he would have the Gulf states pay for them.

Much of the conflict is focused on a number of separatebattles being waged against Islamic State: by Russian-backedSyrian government forces and their allies, U.S.-backed Kurdishand Arab fighters, and Turkish-backed Syrian insurgents.

The U.S. has deployed special forces to Syria tosupport the Kurdish YPG militia and its allies, and not inco-ordination with the Syrian army.

Assad said U.S. troops would be "welcome" in Syria to fightISIS provided Washington co-ordinate with Damascus andrecognize the sovereignty of his government.

"If the Americans are genuine, of course they are welcome.Like any other country, we want to defeat and to fight theterrorists," he said.

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"Troops is part of the co-operation ... [but] you cannot talkabout sending troops ... if you don't have a clear politicalposition toward not only the terrorism, toward the sovereigntyof Syria, toward the unity of Syria," he said.

"It must be through the Syria government."

Moscow said Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin haddiscussed setting up "genuine co-ordination" in the fight against ISIS and "other terrorist groups" in Syria during aphone call last month.

There has been no indication the United States wouldco-ordinate with Syria itself.

For now, U.S.-Russian co-operation is largely limited toensuring that the two countries' air forces operate safely andthat the risk of accidental confrontation or collision isminimized.

Denies mass hangingsreport

Assad also dismissed a report by Amnesty International whichsaid up to 13,000 prisoners had been executed at a military jailin Damascus since 2011.

World powers involved in the Syrian conflict have pusheddiplomatic efforts to end the war, which has killed hundreds ofthousands of people and created millions of refugees.

• Thousands killed in mass hangings in Syrian prison since 2011: Amnesty International

Assad repeated that he would leave power if voted out by theSyrian people, and would consider an early presidential electionafter parliamentary polls are held.