SYRIAN president Bashar al-Assad has said he receives messages from the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and Iraq.
In an interview with the BBC yesterday he said the coalition - which includes Britain - would pass on "information" through third parties, including Iraq, but he ruled out any direct cooperation with the US.
"Sometimes they convey a message, a general message, but there's nothing tactical," he said.
"There is no dialogue. There's, let's say, information but not dialogue."
Mr Assad dismissed western plans to support and train "moderate opposition" forces in Syria as a "pipe dream", insisting that the opponents of his regime were all extremists like IS and al-Qaida and its affiliates.
"They are the same grassroots," he said.
He flatly ruled out direct talks with the US, saying they would not talk to anyone "unless he's a puppet".
"They easily trample over international law, which is about our sovereignty now, so they don't talk to us, we don't talk to them," he said.
He defended his conduct of the four-year civil war, denying reports that his forces deployed "barrel bombs" in indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations, despite multiple, well-documented reports of their use.
"We have bombs, missiles and bullets. There is no barrel bombs, we don't have barrels," he said.
"I know about the army. They use bullets, missiles and bombs. I haven't heard of the army using barrels, or maybe, cooking pots."
"There are no indiscriminate weapons. When you shoot you aim, and when you shoot, when you aim, you aim at terrorists in order to protect civilians. You cannot have war without casualties."
British foreign secretary Philip Hammond rejected Mr Assad's assertion that his forces were not using "barrel bombs".
He said: "Assad is deluded or lying when he says his military are not murdering hundreds of innocent civilians with the use of barrel bombs.
"His regime has waged a brutal campaign against the Syrian people, using crude and indiscriminate weapons and prevented access to life-saving humanitarian assistance.
"Assad's forces have systematically murdered, tortured, raped and imprisoned Syrians.
"There can be no doubt that he is the problem, not part of the solution. The UK's position has not changed, we have no dialogue with Assad. There must be a political transition to a future in which Assad has no part."
* INTERVIEW:
President Assad of Syria