DAMASCUS - Syria's foreign minister is promising Syrians “free and fair” general elections by the end of the year. Walid al-Moallem says the new parliament will represent the aspirations of the Syrian people. The four-year term of the current parliament expired earlier this year and President Bashar Assad is expected to set a date for new legislative elections before the end of 2011. Al-Moallem spoke on Saturday during a meeting with Arab and foreign ambassadors in Damascus. He pledged to press ahead with reforms and said dialogue was the only way forward for Syrians. The announcement comes as the Syrian military tightened its suffocating siege on the city of Hama and activists said security forces killed at least 24 civilians on Friday in Assad's nationwide crackdown on anti-government protesters.
