Syria\'s President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday accused Western countries of supporting al-Qaida and financing terrorism in his country. \"The West is supporting al-Qaida and they are financing terrorism but they will pay a heavy price for it at the heart of the United States and Europe,\" Assad told a televised interview aired on state-run al-Ikhbariya channel to mark the Syria\'s independence day.    Assad also accused Western powers of \"double standards,\" saying they fought al-Qaida in Mali while backing the group \"in Syria, Libya and elsewhere as they did in Afghanistan and later paid a heavy price.\"