Syria: Assad waxes poetic about terror while receiving UNESCO award.

Pure poetry. No wonder he turned Pelosi's hijab clad head.

Syrian President Bashar Assad marked UNESCO's choice of Damascus as the 2008 Capital of Arab Culture by describing the city as a center of culture as well as resistance.

In a celebration attended by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani and Arab League Chief Amr Moussa, Assad hailed the ancient city's historical role as a cultural center while asserting its steadfastness against all enemies.

"Damascus is the capital of resistance culture by symbolizing Arab culture - the culture of freedom and defending freedom," Assad said.

UNESCO's Cultural Capitals Program, which in the Arab world began in 1998, aims to promote the cultural aspects of development and increased international cooperation, according to the organization.

"Damascus is proud of its Damascene flowers and the way it sprinkles its visitors with jasmine perfume and quenches their thirst with its fresh springs, but Damascus also wields an eponymous sword against the avaricious ones who would harm it," he said.

(And that's some international cooperation with that eponymous sword and all.)

Speaking of international cooperation - here's the same article from the Canadian Press. Interesting how the sword comment is edited out.