Assad advisor says Syria war nearing its end

FILE PHOTO: Bouthaina Shaaban, adviser of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, speaks at a news conference in Damascus March 24, 2011. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri/File Photo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An advisor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the six-year war is nearly over as foreign states cut backing for rebels, and vowed the government would confront any "illegitimate" forces, whether Turkish or American.

Bouthaina Shaaban said the fact that Syria was staging the Damascus International Fair for the first time in the war "sends a message that the war has ended ... and we are at the start of the path towards reconstruction."