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Syrian President Frees Detainees, Announces New Cabinet

   VOA News  April 14, 2011
   Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addresses the nation during a speech
   at the Parliament in Damascus, Syria, March 30, 2011

Photo: Reuters

   Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addresses the nation during a speech
   at the Parliament in Damascus, Syria, March 30, 2011

   Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has announced a series of measures
   apparently designed to appease opposition protesters who have been
   calling for reforms.
   State-run media reports say President Assad has ordered the release of
   detainees arrested in the recent wave of protests, except those
   convicted of "criminal acts."
   Thursday's announcement came shortly after President Assad announced
   the formation of a new 31-member Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Adel
   Safar, a former minister of agriculture.
   President Assad dismissed the previous government more than two weeks
   ago in an apparent concession to growing protests by Syrians demanding
   reforms. One demand is for an end to the decades-old emergency law that
   gives the government a free hand to stamp out public protests, ban
   opposition and justify arbitrary arrests.
   Earlier Thursday, reports from Syria said President Assad had met with
   representatives from a protest-hit town of Daraa. There was no
   immediate word on the outcome of the talks, which were an apparent
   effort to calm the situation in Daraa.
   Last Friday, at least 26 protesters were killed in the Daraa area after
   plainclothes security forces opened fire on demonstrators. There had
   been growing violence in the city between pro-government forces and
   opposition activists.
   Meanwhile, the state-run news agency said Thursday that snipers fired
   on a military patrol in the coastal city of Banias, killing one soldier
   and wounding a second.
   On Wednesday, witnesses said hundreds of Syrians, mostly women and
   children, blocked a major coastal highway linking Banias and the town
   of Tartous to protest the government's detention of opposition
   activists.
   The Amnesty International rights group on Thursday urged President
   Assad to "rein in" his security forces to prevent any additional
   "unlawful killings." In a statement, the group says the Syrian
   government appears to be intent on "trying to crush all dissent."
   Separately, the Wall Street Journal says Iran is secretly helping
   President Assad crack down on opposition protests. The newspaper on
   Thursday quotes U.S. officials as saying Tehran is providing equipment
   to Syria as well as assistance in monitoring and blocking protesters'
   use of cell phones, text-messaging and the Internet.
   Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
   

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