Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Associated Press
BEIRUT
Syria’s president promised a national dialogue Monday to consider political reforms, but his vague overtures to a pro-democracy uprising fell flat as protesters took to the streets shouting “Liar!” and demanding his ouster.
In only his third public appearance since the revolt erupted in March, Bashar Assad returned to a now-familiar refrain: He blamed the unrest on “saboteurs,” offered modest potential reforms, but gave no sign he’d move toward ending the Assad family’s political domination.
He clearly intends to try to ride out the wave of protests, showing the steely determination that has kept the Assads in power for 40 years. But the mobilized opposition appeared to be digging in as well, bracing for a showdown in one of the deadliest uprisings of the Arab Spring.
“We want only one thing: Toppling the regime!” read one banner among marchers in several cities Monday.
“The time line is not in [Assad’s] favor,” Mideast scholar Shadi Hamid, at The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar, told The Associated Press after what he called a “disappointing” speech. “The question is, how long can Assad sustain the current situation?”
Standing before a hand-picked crowd of supporters at Damascus University, in dark suit and tie, Assad presented himself as a secure — and beloved — leader intent on protecting his people.