In the midst of civil war, Syrian President Bashar Assad addressed the country Sunday for the first time since June. He said he would continue to fight violence, blaming the crisis in Syria on al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.By NBC News and wire servicesUpdated at 10:45 a.m. ET: Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday outlined what was billed as a new peace initiative that included a national reconciliation conference and a new constitution in a rare speech about the uprising against his rule, which has killed an estimated 60,000 people and brought civil war to the edge of his capital.
His foes reacted to the speech with scorn.
George Sabra, vice president of the opposition National Coalition, told Reuters the peace plan Assad put at the heart of his speech did "not even deserve to be called an initiative":
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld)"We should see it rather as a declaration that he will continue his war against the Syrian people," he said.
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