Instead, the president came toward me

 Arriving at the Damarose Hotel in Damascus, I was immediately escorted to a different location to discuss the conditions of the interview with the president’s communication team. None of their requests were unusual for a head of state. They told me I would have an hour with Assad and that I could ask what I wanted.

The next day, after a light search and one car change, I found myself at a small hillside pavilion hidden in the woods. I was expecting a herd of PR people and bodyguards to welcome me. Instead, the president came toward me, shaking my hand lightly and warmly saying hello.

In contrast to the official military-style portraits of him plastered around Damascus, he appeared more like the optometrist he once was while living in the UK years ago. His gestures, though, were expressive and his hands long and white.

He looked like he would have liked a little more small talk but, as a journalist, I obviously had a purpose: I was there to ask the questions the whole world has been asking — such as ‘why are civilians shelled?’—…

Some may argue that, in talking to him, we offered him a platform to expound his views and portray himself as the last bastion against the Islamic State. But as a journalist, I believe it was my duty to go to Damascus to ask him the questions in person. The reader can judge for him or herself.

By Régis Le Sommier/Paris Match. December, 2014.

M. Al-Ibrahim