Syrian govt quits as protests sweep country

Assad appoints Prime Minister Naji Otri as the caretaker premier.

DAMASCUS:

Syrian President Bashar al Assad accepted his government’s resignation on Tuesday after nearly two weeks of unrest that has posed the gravest challenge to his 11-year rule.

Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri tendered his government’s resignation to the president who promptly re-appointed him caretaker premier, state media reported.

“The president accepted the resignation of the government of Otri and designated it to act in a caretaker capacity pending the formation of a new cabinet,” state-run news agency Sana said.

The next government, expected to be formed in the coming days, will face the task of implementing a string of reforms promised by the state after protests demanding more freedoms erupted in the Baath-ruled country.

But the move was unlikely to satisfy protester demands since the cabinet has little authority in Syria, where power is concentrated in the hands of Assad, his family and the security apparatus.

Tens of thousands of Syrians held pro-government rallies on Tuesday, awaiting a speech in which Assad was expected to announce a decision on lifting emergency laws that have served to crush dissent for almost 50 years.

That is a key demand of anti-government demonstrations in which more than 60 people have been killed.

The president will address his people in the coming days and is expected to announce the end of emergency rule. Agencies

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2011.