Assad confident of winning
President Bashar al-Assad said he is confident his troops will win the conflict ravaging Syria as the number of Syrians who have fled their homeland has topped 850,000.
The United Nations also warned that refugee numbers could reach 1.1 million within months in what has become an increasingly radicalised civil war in the nation of almost 21 million.
Most of the refugees have fled to neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq
Assad's comments, published in Lebanon's pro-Damascus newspaper As-Safir, came as the European Union renewed sanctions against Syria while amending them to enable more "non-lethal" and technical support to help protect civilians.
As-Safir said Assad had met unidentified Lebanese politicians in Damascus and assured them that Syria's future belonged to his camp.
"We are sure we will win, we are reassured by the political and military developments," Assad was quoted as telling them, the Lebanese newspaper said.
"We are convinced that the future is ours... Syria has the willpower to defeat the conspiracy," As-Safir quoted Assad as saying and adding that those "loyal" to his regime "represent the absolute majority of Syrians."
The United Nations says that nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Meanwhile, Dozens of Russians left Syria yesterday on a plane sent by Moscow as the navy despatched four warships to the Mediterranean reportedly for a possible larger evacuation.
Observers are watching for any hints of Russia planning a full-scale evacuation of its citizens, which would be seen as a tacit admission from Moscow that Assad is doomed in his fight against rebels.
Two emergencies ministry planes carrying humanitarian aid flew from Moscow to the Syrian port city of Latakia on Tuesday and took back any Russians wanting to leave on their return trip.
Ninety-nine Russians and other ex-Soviet citizens, including women and children, took up the offer to fly to Moscow on one of the planes, the emergencies ministry said. It was not clear if the second plane would also carry people on its return.
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