Former agriculture minister to form a new Syrian governmentApril 3, 2011 - 15:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed Adel Safar, who served as agriculture minister in the cabinet which resigned last week, to form a new government, an official Syrian source said. He said Safar was expected to announce his new cabinet within two days. Assad accepted the resignation of Naji al-Otari's government after a wave of protests in which witnesses and activists say 60 people have been killed. The government has little influence in Syria, where power is held by Assad, his family and the security apparatus. Safar, a member of the ruling Baath Party, was born in 1953 and has university degrees from Syria and France. In his first comments on unprecedented protests against his rule, Assad said improving living conditions was a legitimate popular demand, and cited solving a water crisis that has displaced hundreds of thousands of Syrians over the past six years as a priority. Assad dismissed the broader concerns about repression and growing demands for political freedoms in the country that has been ruled by the Baath PArty since 1963. Safar was dean of the college of agriculture at Damascus University between 1997 and 2000, before being appointed to the important political position of secretary of the Baath Party branch at the university, haaretz.com reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |