Dozens Arrested Ahead Of Syria 'Reform' Summit

Syrian forces have rounded up dozens of people around the city of Hama, the day after shooting dead 22 protestors, activists have said.

The latest development in the bloody events surrounding the city comes as leading politicians in the country prepare for a historic meeting in Damascus.
Tanks are still stationed around Hama, but most have now been redeployed and are concentrated around the headquarters of the ruling Ba'ath party.
The government of President Bashar al Assad, which has run the country as a one party state, believes political, economic and social reform will bring an end to the unrest.
Members of the Ba'ath party will sit with opposition leaders and independent figures to discuss plans for a national dialogue conference. No subject will be off the table as journalist Ziad Haidar explains.

I believe (overthrowing the president) will put us in the mouth of the alligator and will (lead us to some) tragedy. So I believe we have to come to round table to discuss about everything.

Dr Mohammed Habash

"It will be discussing very important issues regarding the future of Syria: (proposals for) laws regarding the new political party law, the electoral law and the new media law," he said.
"And it will also be discussing the need for revising the constitution as a whole and changing it."
But while the streets of Damascus are mainly quiet, there are still thousands demonstrating against the government and reports of violence in cities like Hama and Idlib.
So some opposition leaders are refusing to take part.
Dr Mohammed Habash, an Islamic scholar and political moderate, has decided he will.
He said many protestors have legitimate grievances but if they topple the President, it could prove disastrous.
"I believe it will put us in the mouth of the alligator and will (lead us to some) tragedy.
"So I believe we have to come to round table to discuss about everything."
The government is still trying to explain to the small international media presence here, the reasons behind the continuing bloodshed.
It argues peaceful protests have been hijacked by Muslim extremists, determined to establish an Islamic state.
Activists say that is a clumsy attempt to cover the government's repression, which Amnesty International believes could involve crimes against humanity.
Syria's foreign minister, Walid Muallem, insisted to Sky News they have no interest in harming those with genuine complaints.
"The people in the street, from my experience, they have their own demands, which are legitimate.

Anti-government protesters swarmed the streets of Hama

"Unemployment, the standard of living; some of them are farmers and they need to look at their issues," he said.
"This is a necessity. This will not wait until the end of the conference. These are important needs and they need to be addressed."
In the ancient ruins of Palmyra, which is dependent on tourism, the unrest is creating severe economic strain.
Jamal Fatalha, a tour guide who has shown President Assad around the UNESCO World Heritage Site, echoes a view we've heard many times here: the leader is a good man but his inner circle must go.
"The most of them, I can't say all of them, nobody likes them. The people have bad memories about them. We don't like them. But now we're starting to see good people, new faces, we started to see clean people that's very good."
That optimism isn't shared by all, as the country still teeters.
The hope abroad is that this Sunday's meeting can at least lay the foundations upon which a new multi-party Syria can be constructed.