By IANS,
Damascus : Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed former agriculture minister Adel Safar to form a new government, Xinhua cited the official SANA news agency as stating Sunday.
Safar’s appointment has come in the wake of anti-government protests in some parts of the country, particularly in the southern town of Daraa, 100 km south to the capital Damascus.
About 50 Syrians died during clashes between security forces and protesters, according to official sources.
The Syrian authorities rushed to contain the protests by steps like ending the emergency, increasing salaries of government employees and releasing political detainees.
Syrian authorities have accused “armed groups supported by foreign powers” of seeking to incite sectarian strife in the country.
On Saturday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern over the situation in Syria and called for an immediate end to the violence against peaceful demonstrators in the country.
An armed group Friday fired from some buildings at civilians and security forces in Syrian city of Douma. It left dozens of people as killed and wounded.
Anti-government protests erupted Friday morning in various cities including Damascus, Latakia, Banias, Homs and Daraa, where thousands of Syrians took to the streets, calling for freedom and democracy.