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Syrians voice support for Assad government, army

16 February 2014 03:19 (UTC +04:00)

The biggest march was staged on Saturday in al-Shaghour neighborhood of the capital, Damascus, where people from all walks of life were present.

Carrying posters of President Assad and national flags, the demonstrators chanted slogans in support of the army, which has been battling foreign-backed militants over the past three years.

They also rejected the intervention of foreign powers in Syria’s internal affairs, and voiced support for the government delegation to Geneva talks as the true representative of the Syrian people.

Similar rallies were also held in the provinces of Aleppo, Hama, Hasaka, Homs, and Latakia.

The pro-government demonstrations in Syria came as peace talks in Geneva ended without any result, without an agreement on a date for another round.

The second round of talks between delegations representing the Syrian government and the foreign-backed opposition groups in the Swiss city deadlocked with both sides sticking to their positions.

The Syrian delegation said fighting terrorism should be the top priority while the so-called Syrian National Council insisted that the formation of a transitional government and resignation of President Bashar al-Assad must come first.

Meanwhile, the UN-backed evacuation of residents from the Old City of Homs continued on Saturday.

Homs Governor Governor Talal al-Barazi said dozens of men, aged between 18 and 45, who had earlier been taken for questioning were released.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Some sources say more than 130,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.