The editor in chief of the Syrian state-owned daily al-Baath, Mahdi Dakhlallah, denied reports that said Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was about to embark on radical changes in the Syrian cabinet as a result of developments in the region. Dakhlallah also described these news reports as ‘baseless’.
On Sunday, the Lebanese daily Al-Nahar cited diplomatic sources it described as "informed", as saying that a new Syrian government would be formed to cope with the new developments in the region. It added that the new cabinet was supposed to be announced in the first week of this month (April) but was postponed.
However, Dakhlallah said these reports were untrue and described them as ‘plain rumors’. He also downplayed any suspicions saying “of course there is never a government that lasts forever…it is a cabinet that can be changed as needed and in accordance with the situation…but rumors won’t change it.”
Al-Nahar also reported that the anticipated change would come in response to American demands, however it ruled out the possibility of removing the ‘old guard’ (former president Hafez al-Assad’s circle) as desired by the US.
These reports have come amid ongoing US threats and provocations against Syria, the most recent of which came from US Representative Tom Lantos, a senior Democrat on the House of Representatives International Relations Committee, who demanded Damascus stop its support for the Lebanese Hizbullah and close down the offices of the Palestinian factions that oppose peace with Israel. Lantos also demanded from the Syrian government to implement more democratic reforms that guarantee human rights and freedom. (Albawaba.com)
