The Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, has addressed the nation, calling for national unity and expanding his amnesty to those opposing his rule. But he said conspiracy in the country was ''blooming'' and 64,000 people were wanted by the authorities.
Critics saw it as a further attempt to suppress pro-democracy supporters whose public calls for change have continued despite the regime's deadly efforts to crush dissent.
As the Obama administration weighed bringing war crimes charges against Mr Assad over the deaths of more than 1300 protesters, Syrian troops continued to sweep the northern border to block refugees from fleeing to neighbouring Turkey.
Al-Assad's speech: Reheated promises salted with threats
By Tim Lister
June 20, 2011 3:42 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Officials had said Bashar al-Assad's speech would be a blueprint for reform in Syria
Instead, it was a rehashing of old ambiguities and fresh threats, observers note
One opponent told CNN al-Assad's speech has given the uprising "another push"
Andrew Tabler: al-Assad's fixation on conspiracies indicates he's missed the point
(CNN) -- Syrian officials had dubbed it as a landmark speech -- one that would be the blueprint for reform and begin a national dialogue.
As it turned out, President Bashar al-Assad's hourlong address at Damascus University Monday seemed more a reworking of previous promises to create committees that would study changes to the constitution, with vague hints that opposition parties would be tolerated. And rather than placating the growing opposition to the regime, it appears to have emboldened it.
One popular tweet in the immediate aftermath read: "Assad speech arithmetic. Number of times each word used: Freedom: 1; Conspiracy: 8; & Vandals: 18." Another scorned the Syrian leader: "Only #Assad can turn a Monday into a Friday. Protests reported everywhere in #Syria."
Ausama Monajed, an activist in the U.K., told CNN: "People are very disappointed, yet happy that Assad gave another push to the uprising by saying the wrong things!" And the Local Coordination Committees, which organize protests in Syria, said in a statement: "We have announced previously, we rejected any dialogue in the light of the continued killings and intimidation and the siege of cities and arbitrary arrests. As we believe that there will be no benefit of any dialogue if it is not intended to turn the current page of the regime, peacefully ... towards a new, democratic and free Syria."
"Assad hung his problems on foreign conspiracy theories and he accused the Syrian people of being vandalizers, armed gangs, and lawless criminals rather than respond to their legitimate demands," said Ammar Qurabi, chairman of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria.
He called the speech "an invitation for those sitting at home to go out and join the demonstrations, because after three months of protests Assad has not said anything new."
Arabist blogger Issandr El-Amrani said al-Assad sounded weak.
"The previous speeches were cocky and confident, arrogant even. In this one he seemed uncomfortable and nervous, gone was the joking and swagger of a month ago," he wrote. "Assad offered a bunch of technocratic reforms... and he appeared rambling and perhaps even weak. Its contents were vague, and simply did not address the very serious crisis between the Syrian people and their state," El-Amrani said.
Al-Assad's speech was peppered with possibilities: "We are considering more options to include more people in the general amnesty" and "there is a possibility to amend constitutional articles." He spoke of the need for a "deep transformation."
But the speech was also laced with threats. "There are those who are killing in the name of the religion and want to spread chaos under the pretext of religion," al-Assad said. "Those who terrorize and murder, we cannot afford them clemency."
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Mr. President Dr. Bashar Al- Assad speech in People's Council Part1-3by cflitchannel3,979 views
ALLAH YEHMEE BASHAR AL ASSAD. THE BEST PRESIDENT THAT HAS EVER LIVED!
SarahHaras2 2 weeks ago
Asad is a bastard like Ali Khamenei.
Haz3dNightfall 5 months ago
god bloss alasaad ....
wlaw2011 8 months ago
al asad is a robot, speaks no sense words no meanings, asad is a dummy piece of shit
cliftonuhaul 8 months ago