Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has denied his government's forces had any role in the Houla massacre. Assad called the killings an "ugly crime" that even "monsters" would not carry out. Addressing parliament, he blamed "foreign meddling" for the country's divisions. And he again blamed "terrorists", supported by foreign powers, for causing discord and creating "a project of... dissent".
Assad said that the country was "facing attempts to weaken Syria, breach its sovereignty". He said the only way to resolve the crisis was through political dialogue.
But he added he wouldn't negotiate with those who did not represent the will of the Syrian people. He said, "We are not going to dialogue with forces co-operating with the outside the world, or forces who are engaged in terrorist actions."