SYRIA: Young Syrians in Damascus demonstrate in support of President Bashar al-Assad a day after second round of Geneva peace talks falter

Record ID: 214177

  • Title: SYRIA: Young Syrians in Damascus demonstrate in support of President Bashar al-Assad a day after second round of Geneva peace talks falter
  • Date: 16th February 2014
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (FEBRUARY 16, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS HOLDING SYRIAN FLAGS AND PLACARDS SHOWING SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD VARIOUS OF YOUNG DEMONSTRATORS CHANTING IN SUPPORT OF ASSAD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED MAN, SAYING: "We do not count on Geneva, but we stand by the Syrian leadership with anything they want to do and with any step they want to take." VARIOUS OF YOUNG DEMONSTRATORS WITH SYRIAN FLAGS AND PICTURES OF ASSAD CHEERING FOR ASSAD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN MAN, ISSAM RUMEIH, SAYING: "We gained victory. We did not fail. They [the opposition] failed. They took us to Geneva in an attempt to make us fail, but we did not fail. We succeeded with our politics, dignity and strength. We are strong." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SCHOOL GIRL, NAJWA, SAYING: "We are here to say to President Bashar al-Assad that we are with him. We are with you. We do not wait for Geneva and we know that President Bashar al-Assad will stay strong." (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SCHOOL BOY, NOUR, SAYING: "Our delegation [the government delegation] represents me but they [the opposition] are terrorists." VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATION, FEW ADULTS AMONG THE DEMONSTRATING CHILDREN
  • Embargoed: 3rd March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEQV0EO1LUOX2MLVOQOEAHBXTM
  • Story Text: Hundreds of young Syrians gathered in the Adawi district of Damascus on Sunday (February 16) to show their support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian army.
    The majority of the demonstrators appeared to be children. They carried pictures of Assad and Syrian national flags and chanted in support of their president.
    Two of the few adults at the demonstration said they supported their government and had no expectations for the Geneva peace talks.
    "We do not count on Geneva, but we stand by the Syrian leadership with anything they want to do and with any step they want to take," said a man who did not give his name.
    "We gained victory. We did not fail. They [the opposition] failed. They took us to Geneva in an attempt to make us fail, but we did not fail. We succeeded with our politics, dignity and strength. We are strong," said Syrian man Issam Rumeih.
    School children agreed that the Geneva talks were irrelevant to them.
    "We are here to say to President Bashar al-Assad that we are with him. We are with you. We do not wait for Geneva and we know that President Bashar al-Assad will stay strong," said school girl Najwa.
    "Our delegation [the government delegation] represents me but they [the opposition] are terrorists," said Nour, a school boy.
    On Saturday,international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologised to the Syrian people for the lack of progress at the Geneva peace talks. A second round of talks ended on Saturdaya with little more than an agreement to meet again.
    The fighting in Syria has killed more than 140,000 people - more than 7,000 of them children - according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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