Bashar al-Assad rejects foreign mediation

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has rejected international intervention in his country, saying Syria's problems will be resolved by Syrians.Assad made the remark during a one-hour interview broadcast on Iran's state-run television on Thursday. The interview was reportedly recorded one week ago.

Syrian president condemned the United States and European countries for supporting anti-government forces behind the scenes. He added that Arab countries were also involved and that Syrians will not accept any solution proposed by other countries.

Assad said opposition extremists in Syria are colluding with international terrorists to attack civilians.

He said his government will continue using force to crack down on opposition forces. He said eliminating just one terrorist can save many lives.

Fighting between government troops and opposition forces has been escalating across Syria.

The opposition says 104 people, including 20 children, were killed in government attacks on Wednesday alone.

The United States, Russia and other key players in the crisis will meet in Geneva on Saturday.