Assad's father-in-law says 'Syrian uprising just like London riots'

London, Mar 16 (ANI): Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's father-in-law has compared the uprising in the Islamic country to the last year's London riots and questioned why British Prime Minister David Cameron did not deploy troops as Assad did.

"When the London riots burst out and Cameron said he would get the army out, now would you compare that to Homs?" Dr, Fawaz Akhras said during an interview with The Telegraph when asked about his son-in-law's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protestors.

"What would you do? Just watch them killing you? You have a responsibility to ensure the security of your people," he added.

According to the report, when told that the British authorities had dealt with the riots without killing anyone, Dr. Akhras replied that 'we are not as sophisticated as the Metropolitan Police or Scotland Yard.'

He said that the figure of 7,000 dead in Syria was "much better" than the death toll in Libya, where a Western-supported military intervention and civil war caused as many as 50,000 deaths.

Dr. Akhras, a cardiologist, also said that Assad's wife, Asma was "strong, and he talks to her often."

Dr Akhras has been a key figure in liaison between the Syrian and British governments.

He is the founder and co-chairman of the British-Syrian Society, set up in 2003 to "strengthen relations at all levels" between the two countries. (ANI)