US WILL 'PAY THE PRICE' IF IT ATTACKS SYRIA - ASSAD

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned Washington on Monday to brace
for retaliation if US forces attacked his war-torn country, as he
denied using chemical weapons against his people.
"You're going to pay the price if you're not wise. There are going to
be repercussions," Assad told CBS television's "This Morning."
"It's an area where everything is on the brink of explosion. You have
to expect everything."
He also warned of the risks of possible chemical attacks by rebels or
"terrorists" if there was outside intervention in Syria.
In early US reaction, a White House spokesman the United States is
ready for any contingency.
"The United States military is far stronger than any of Assad or his
allies. What we'll send is a clear message to him. He has no interest
in escalating this conflict, frankly," said Ben Rhodes, a spokesman
for the National Security Council.
Assad spoke in what CBS called his first interview since President
Barack Obama asked Congress for approval to use military force to
punish Assad for his regime's alleged use of chemical weapons in a
deadly attack last month.
"You should expect everything… The government's not the only player in
this region. You have different parties, different factions, different
ideologies. You have everything in this region now," Assad said.
Assad denied his forces carried out a deadly chemical weapons attack
on August 21 on the outskirts of Damascus, as alleged by the United
States and some of its allies.
"How can you talk about what happened if you don't have evidence?" he
said in the interview, in which he spoke English.
"We're not like the American administration, we're not like the social
media administration or government. We're the government that deals
with evidence."
Rhodes said there is "no doubt in our mind.
Assad is accountable for the use of chemical weapons by his regime."
In the interview broadcast Monday Assad said that his forces had
themselves in fact been attacked by rebels using chemical arms.
"But in the area where they say the government used chemical weapons,
we only have video and we only have pictures and allegations. We're
not there. Our forces, our police, our institutions don't think this,"
Assad said.
Asked whether the repercussions he predicted could include the use of
more chemical weapons, Assad replied: "That depends. If the rebels or
the terrorists in this region or any other group have it, it could
happen. I don't know. I'm not a fortune teller to tell you what's
going to happen."
Obama will on Tuesday address Americans from the White House to
discuss intervention in Syria, ahead of a possible Senate vote on
authorizing force against Assad's regime later this week.
A poll released Monday showed most Americans believe Assad's regime
did gas its own people, but they still strongly oppose US military
retaliation.
A total of 59 percent of those surveyed said Congress should not vote
to give Obama authority for even limited military action in Syria,
said the CNN/ORC International poll.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who testified before a the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee last week seeking its support for military
action, said Monday in London that Assad could avert an attack by
giving up his chemical weapons.
But Kerry said he had no expectation Assad would do this.