What passes for reform in Syria - such as recent mass releases of political prisoners, Islamists, Iraqi Ba'athists and other dissidents held in prisons for undefined, extended periods - has met with encouragement from a Saudi-backed, Arabic-language newspaper in the United Kingdom, as well as from a main newspaper in the kingdom of Kuwait.
A columnist for London's Al-Hayat newspaper praised Bashar Al-Assad for recent reforms in Syria, which, he wrote, were evident.
The commentator, Mohammed Rumaihi, detailed the changes, as he saw them, in his February 5th article: "Political parties, whose participation in government was just a facade, are increasingly empowered and have the means of issuing newspapers and opening libraries. ...Economic reforms are also apparent, as is the growing transparency of the ruling party. More importantly, there is a civil society that is interacting with current issues. It has to be said that Syria is rebuilding itself socially and culturally and that its national will for reform has begun to be implemented."
At the same time, Rumaihi warned that certain opposition groups, based outside of Syria, are "not compatible with reality," as they "emphasize what [they] are against, not what [they're] for."
The editor-in-chief of Kuwait's As-Siyassah newspaper was even more strident. He wrote, February 9, that Syrian society is breaking loose of the "grip of surrender and fear" engendered by a political process that was"monopolized by the icons of the ruling regimes" for over 30 years. However, unlike his Al-Hayat colleague, As-Siyassah's editor located the impetus for change not in the palaces of Assad, but with the people of Syria and Lebanon.
"Syrians are shouting loud and clear to gain people's rights, freedom for political prisoners, an end to emergency laws and fair rule," the Kuwaiti editor declared, "The same scenario is being witnessed in Lebanon, because it is ruled by an authority which succumbs to the will of Damascus, curtails political freedom of the Lebanese people by using suppressive methods and steals the country’s wealth."
If the Assad regime fails to heed the Lebanese and Syrian peoples' call for change, the article warned, "its end could be similar to Saddam Hussein's." Addressing the "Syrian ruling party" - i.e., Bashar Al-Assad - the editor wrote that it "must seriously consider the demands of the people, because this time [they] are strong-willed and determined." As for what he called "the old guard", the article said, "it would be wise... to ponder the recent changes in the region and embark on a campaign of reform, democracy and freedom."
A columnist for London's Al-Hayat newspaper praised Bashar Al-Assad for recent reforms in Syria, which, he wrote, were evident.
The commentator, Mohammed Rumaihi, detailed the changes, as he saw them, in his February 5th article: "Political parties, whose participation in government was just a facade, are increasingly empowered and have the means of issuing newspapers and opening libraries. ...Economic reforms are also apparent, as is the growing transparency of the ruling party. More importantly, there is a civil society that is interacting with current issues. It has to be said that Syria is rebuilding itself socially and culturally and that its national will for reform has begun to be implemented."
At the same time, Rumaihi warned that certain opposition groups, based outside of Syria, are "not compatible with reality," as they "emphasize what [they] are against, not what [they're] for."
The editor-in-chief of Kuwait's As-Siyassah newspaper was even more strident. He wrote, February 9, that Syrian society is breaking loose of the "grip of surrender and fear" engendered by a political process that was"monopolized by the icons of the ruling regimes" for over 30 years. However, unlike his Al-Hayat colleague, As-Siyassah's editor located the impetus for change not in the palaces of Assad, but with the people of Syria and Lebanon.
"Syrians are shouting loud and clear to gain people's rights, freedom for political prisoners, an end to emergency laws and fair rule," the Kuwaiti editor declared, "The same scenario is being witnessed in Lebanon, because it is ruled by an authority which succumbs to the will of Damascus, curtails political freedom of the Lebanese people by using suppressive methods and steals the country’s wealth."
If the Assad regime fails to heed the Lebanese and Syrian peoples' call for change, the article warned, "its end could be similar to Saddam Hussein's." Addressing the "Syrian ruling party" - i.e., Bashar Al-Assad - the editor wrote that it "must seriously consider the demands of the people, because this time [they] are strong-willed and determined." As for what he called "the old guard", the article said, "it would be wise... to ponder the recent changes in the region and embark on a campaign of reform, democracy and freedom."