Al-Assad blames foreigners for civil war; says he will not go From Gul Tuysuz, CNN April 5, 2013 -- Updated 1846 GMT (0246 HKT) Bashar al-Assad blames "foreign powers" for civil war He says he will not give up Syria's civil war has claimed some 70,000 lives (CNN) -- If the Syrian government falls, other countries in the region could suffer, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told a Turkish news outlet Friday. The embattled leader told Turkey's Ulusal TV that neighboring states who should be allies instead are being influenced by foreign powers. A fight in Syria would affect countries in the region. And perhaps with a domino effect will impact faraway countries as well," al-Assad said. The Arab states that have not supported the Syrian regime are those that are not independent actors but rather under the guidance of foreign countries. Syria is in the midst of a civil war with roots that date back to March 2011, when protesters, partly inspired by Arab Spring uprisings in the region, began demonstrating for more freedom. That movement quickly morphed into a movement against al-Assad, who was appointed president by Syria's parliament in 2000 after his father died. The government responded with a crackdown -- with devastating results. The United Nations estimates that more than 70,000 people have died in the violence. Asked on Friday whether he would consider giving up for the sake of stability, al-Assad did not mention the uprising inside Syria, but said that the wishes of other countries do not affect him. "I am an elected leader of the Syrian people," he said. Whether I am a president is determined by the Syrian people, not by foreign states. He singled out the United States as a nation that has "massacred millions" in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. He also criticized Turkey, saying Syria's neighbor "has a hand in the blood flowing in Syria." The brutal civil war claimed more than 6,000 lives in March alone -- making it the deadliest month since the conflict began, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported this week.