TURKEY: Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad demonstrate outside "Friends of Syria" meeting in Istanbul

Record ID: 280534

  • Title: TURKEY: Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad demonstrate outside "Friends of Syria" meeting in Istanbul
  • Date: 2nd April 2012
  • Summary: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (APRIL 1, 2012) (REUTERS) VIEW OF SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD'S PROTESTERS STAGING A DEMO VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGANS IN FRONT OF POLICE LINE VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING IN ARABIC: "One, one, one. Syrian people are one" / PROTESTERS HOLDING SYRIAN FLAGS PROTESTERS JOSTLING EACH OTHER AS POLICE PREVENT THEM FROM ADVANCING VARIOUS OF DEM
  • Embargoed: 17th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey, Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAC9GI8A06X8G6OECW6EXY0OPZ1
  • Story Text: A small number of President Bashar al-Assad's supporters gathered on Sunday (April 1) outside the Istanbul conference centre where foreign ministers from around 70 countries including the United States and leading European Union and Gulf powers who call themselves the "Friends of Syria" are meeting.
    The protesters, who were outnumbered by Turkish police, waved Syria flags and held up pictures of the embattled Syrian leader. Some had Russian and Chinese flags. "One, one, one. Syrian people are one" and "People want Bashar Assad," the crowd chanted.
    "This is all a big fat lie, just like they say and we don't believe all the meetings, and all the meetings they do. We love Bashar Assad. And we are so proud that we are Syrian and that we have such a president," said one female supporter, before she and the other protesters were gradually pushed back away from the conference centre to the main road.
    The Syrian political opposition is also attending the conference. However, it remains divided and has not yet formally accepted a peace plan brokered by United Nations-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan.
    Prospects of Western-led military intervention are close to zero, although Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal renewed calls on Saturday to arm the Syrian opposition, describing it as a "duty".
    Assad, whose foreign ministry has declared that the year-long revolt has been crushed, said he accepts Annan's plan but insists on keeping security forces in cities to maintain security.
    His opponents say they will not put down their arms until his troops and heavy weapons withdraw.
    The Annan proposal for ending what began in March 2011 as peaceful protests against Assad's rule says the army must stop violence immediately and be the first to withdraw its forces. It does not call on Assad to step down, as the opposition and its Western and Arab supporters have demanded.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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