08.04.2011                      04.Nisan, 5771

Syrien:

Syria's Assad provides citizenship to Kurds amid persisting protests

Syria President fulfills key demand by country's long ostracized minority in an attempt to quell anti-government protests that have shaken the country's authoritarian regime.

The Syrian president on Thursday granted citizenship to thousands of Kurds living in a northeastern province, fulfilling a key demand by the country's long ostracized minority and making yet another overture amid extraordinary anti-government protests that have shaken Bashar Assad's authoritarian regime.

State-run television said Assad issued a decree granting citizenship to more than 250,000 Kurds registered as aliens in the Hasaka province records. In a separate decree, Assad sacked the governor of central Homs province that has been the scene of clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in the past three weeks….