Over 1 million people took to the streets in Syria`s second largest city Aleppo to express their support to President Bashar Assad. The demonstrators chanted slogans, urging the opposition to avoid being violent in their attempts to topple the regime and sit down for talks.
They also affirmed their determination to back "the process of comprehensive reform under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad," SANA reported.
Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi said in an interview published on Thursday that the situation in Syria requires the intervention of his organization. “Syria is facing an unacceptable situation [characterized by] killing, oppression and violence,” he told An-Nahar newspaper. He also said that his repeated visits to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad resulted in “a minor change” in the regime’s policy.
According to Arabi, Damascus rejected holding a national dialogue in the Arab League’s Cairo headquarters and insisted on hosting such a session only in Syria. However, the Arab League chief added that Syrian National Council members reject meeting with “a government that is killing its own people.”
