Chavez backs Assad, blames US for Syrian crisis

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he will continue to support his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad and has blamed the United States for the 19-month unrest in the Arab country.

Chavez made the remarks in the capital Caracas on Tuesday, two days after he won a fourth consecutive term in office, which runs from 2013 to 2019, AFP reported.

“How can I not support the government of Bashar al-Assad if it is the legitimate government of Syria?” asked Chavez.

He also described the foreign-backed insurgents fighting against the Syrian government as terrorists, asking, “Who am I going to back, the terrorists… who run around killing people right and left?”

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country. It accuses Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France, and the United States of backing the deadly insurgency that has claimed the lives of many Syrians, including security and army personnel.

“The government of the United States is one of the parties most to blame for this disaster in Syria,” Chavez noted. “Now, Mr. Obama, if you are re-elected, sit back and reflect, and the governments of Europe should do the same.”

The Venezuelan president also admired Russia and China for blocking three anti-Syrian resolutions at the United Nations Security Council.