LONDON: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad ordered on Monday the establishing of a “Political Affairs Committee” tasked to handle “specific tasks” in order to push reform in the country, the state-run SANA news agency reported. It comes as protests in the country continue across the country demanding that the leader step down after thousands have been killed by military crackdowns on peaceful protesters since the uprising began on March 15. According to rights groups and activists inside Syria, over 2,000 people have been killed in the ongoing violence, which has peaked this month. The Syrian cabinet endorsed on July 25 the political multi-party bill as part of the government's reform agenda in a bid to “enrich and advance the political life, share responsibilities and alternate the possession of power,” according to SANA. To quell the unprecedented anti-government crisis in the country, Assad recently introduced a package of new measures that aim at easing up the regime's restraints on politics and economy, lifting the most controversial state of emergency imposed in the county for around 50 years, and granting general amnesty. The ruling Baath Party took over power in Syria following a 1963 coup that overthrew the military junta. President Hafez Assad, who died in June 2000, came to power seven years later. His son, Bashar, succeeded him in 2000. There are eleven pro-government political parties that are tightly controlled by al-Baath ruling party. Speaking in an interview with the state-run TV Sunday night, Assad said that Syria is undergoing a transitional stage and the country will follow up laws and there would be a revision of the constitution, adding that the expected time to conduct parliamentarian elections is February. The international community, including the United States and the European Union have called on Assad to step aside and allow the country to have a democratic future. However, Russia has said that Assad “deserves more time” to implement reforms. Activists say that more time means more Syrians being killed. BM
