Whisper it – things might be changing in Syria. A bit.

With foreign journalists allowed into the country, moving relatively freely (although with government minders accompanying them); with Michel Kilo and Aref Dalila allowed to take part in an opposition meeting; and with SANA reporting the following – has something changed? (Even the fact that their headline acknowledges that there is a Syrian opposition is new).

Participants in the meeting, in their final communiqué, voiced support for the popular peaceful Intifada for the realization of its aims as to move to a civil, democratic and plural state.

The participants also called for an end to ”security alternative” for the withdrawal of security forces from cities, towns and villages. The participants underscored in their communiqué the “right to peaceful demonstration with no prior approval”.

The journalists, who went to cover the meeting, in particular Satellite TV channels, including the Syrian TV, which were ready to transmit live the meeting, were caught by a surprise when the sessions of the meeting were held behind closed-doors. The journalists were only allowed few minutes to take some pictures.

And so it was that SANA woke up – just a little bit.

by Syria News Wire

The Syria News Wire is written from Damascus and London. It was the fourth Syrian blog to appear on the internet – back in 2004. It is a Lonely Planet favourite, award nominated, Toot-ified blog, which gets about 15,000 hits a month. In 2008, Damascus became the Arab Capital of Culture. The year was packed full of events. Every month, a programme was published – but it didn’t hit the streets until half the month had passed. In Damascus, that doesn’t matter. We find out what’s happening by word of mouth. And the same goes for news, or plans for the city’s development. This site puts some of those whispers on to the net. News from the streets of Damascus, and beyond.

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