Syrians rally to back reforms

Syria: Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets in the coastal city of Latakia, raising the country’s national flag and voicing support for reforms promised by the Syrian president. The demonstrators carried what they called world’s biggest national flag, 16 kilometers long and four meters wide, as a sign of support for the reform program initiated by President Bashar al-Assad and rejected foreign meddling in the country’s internal affairs, Syrian Arab News Agency reported on Sunday.

The Syrian government has convened a two-day meeting in the capital city of Damascus, dubbed “national dialog,” with members of the opposition to bring to an end the months-long fatal unrest in the country.

US Ambassador Robert Ford and French Ambassador Eric Chevallier paid an unauthorized visit to the restive city of Hama on Thursday without prior arrangements with Syrian officials. Syrians gathered outside the US Embassy in Damascus on Saturday, calling for the expulsion of the American ambassador over interfering in the country’s internal affairs.

Monday, Press TV