The Netherlands will be acting illegally if it decides to bomb militant Islamic targets in Syria, the country’s president Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with Dutch television in Damascus.

‘That would be against international law,’ Assad told current affairs show Nieuwsuur. ‘Syria is a sovereign state. If the Netherlands wants to combat terrorism here, it must ask permission from the Syrian government.’

The Netherlands currently is only involved in bombing IS targets in Iraq but is under increasing pressure to take action in Syria as well.

The official Dutch standpoint is that Assad must go in order to ensure a stable new government comes to power.

‘That decision is up to Syria itself,’ Assad said. ‘Europe has nothing to say about the issue. The Dutch would not accept Syria choosing their prime minister.’

The Netherlands has never sought contact with his government and he is open to talk, Assad said.

Watch the interview (in English)