Syrian leader screws up again in speech that doesn't mention 'emergency'

Coat of arms of Syria -- the "Hawk of Qur...Image via Wikipedia
NY Times:

In his first address to the nation after bloody protests and calls for reform, President Basher al-Assad on Wednesday blamed a broad conspiracy from beyond his borders for Syria’s turmoil and offered no concessions to ease his authoritarian regime’s grip on public life.

To apparently choreographed cries of support and applause Mr. Assad appeared before Syria’s Parliament for what had been billed as a major speech that would define his response to the biggest challenge facing the government’s authority in decades.

The speech had been highly anticipated inside and outside Syria for signs that Mr. Assad would lift or ease the state of emergency that has underpinned his Baath Party’s hold on power since it was declared in 1963. But he made no reference to any such action and the speech seemed likely to dismay protesters who have been demanding reform.

Mr. Assad’s relatively brief appearance had been depicted in advance as an attempt to calm tensions after government forces repeatedly opened fire on demonstrators in recent days, killing dozens of people as Syrians clamored for the same reforms that have become the rallying cry of many across the Arab world.

Smiling and looking relaxed, Mr. Assad spoke of “the plots that are being hatched against our country” and said they represented a “test of our unity.”

“We are for reform and we are for meeting the people’s demands,” Mr. Assad said, referring to legislative changes under consideration since too but not carried out because of what he called a series of regional crises. “The first priority was to the stability of Syria, to maintain stability,” he said.

He added: “We are not in favor of chaos and destruction.”

...
Who knew?

This has to be one of the least intelligent speeches given since the Arab uprising began. So a 48 year "emergency" continues in effect because this government is too incompetent to solve it. There is nothing in this speech which gives any clue that Assad or his government can address the grievances of the people.

His resignation would be a good start to dealing with the "emergency." After seeing the report on the speech it is hard to understand why there was so much anticipation of this poorly crafted speech.
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