If you knew nothing about Syrian “President” Bashar al-Assad, or about Syria, you’d think from reading this al-Reuters release that he was a legitimate international head of state.

Instead of a brutal Ba’athist dictator ruling a totalitarian, terror-sponsoring rogue nation. But there I go being judgmental again. Syria Sees Danger in Any Iraq Ethnic Federation.

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in remarks aired on Saturday the creation of a federation based on ethnic divisions in neighboring Iraq would be dangerous, in an apparent reference to a Kurdish autonomy.

Assad, a stern opponent to the U.S-led war and occupation of Iraq, also said that the United States and its allies had failed to achieve any of the goals of their campaign.

“There is no doubt that they (U.S.-led forces) have failed,” said Assad in an interview with the Qatar-based Arab television station JihadTV al-Jazeera.

Assad, whose country is home to about two million Syrian Kurds, said: “A federation which is based on race or ethnic groups is a dangerous thing.”

“In principle, federation is not something that we stand with or against because it is an internal issue,” he said arguing that other types of federal systems, not based on ethnic divisions, could succeed in Iraq.