2012-08-20 08:48:39

Syrian president makes rare public appearance


Syrian state television showed president Bashar al-Assad attending a mosque with his prime minister and foreign minister on Sunday for the festival of Eid to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It was the president’s first public appearence since four of his top security officials – including Assad’s brother-in-law – were killed in the Syrian capital of Damascus July 18.

One activist group reported meanwhile that violence in Syria continued to rage on, with around 100 people killed. Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, Eduardo del Buey, called for an end to the violence and the suffering inside the country. “Diplomacy to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Syria,” del Buey said, “remains a top priority for the United Nations.” The 17 month long conflict has intensified since July, and several high profile members of the regime have defected, included among them Assad’s former prime minister Riyad Hijab.


Listen to Ann Schneible’s report: RealAudioMP3







All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.