Assad: "Saboteurs" To Blame

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says "saboteurs" are trying to exploit legitimate calls for change, and there can be no reform in his country through vandalism.

President Assad said during a televised speech to the nation Monday there can be no development in Syria without stability.  The speech was his third major address since anti-government protests began in mid-March.

Before the speech, British Foreign Secretary William Hague called on Assad to either reform or step aside.  Hague said he hoped Turkey would pressure neighboring Syria and tell Assad he is "losing legitimacy."

Turkey is sheltering more than 10,000 Syrian refugees in tent cities near its border with Syria.

In a speech two weeks after the protests began, Assad said foreigners had created a conspiracy to bring down his government.  In mid-April, his address said the government would abolish the country's 50-year-old emergency law and that he was urging his Cabinet to consider measures to create new jobs.