Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered troops not to fire on pro-democracy demonstrators, a rights campaigner said, ahead of Friday prayers that have become a rallying point for protesters in an eight-week uprising.
Louay Hussein said Assad's adviser Bouthaina Shaaban told him in a phone call on Thursday that "definitive presidential orders have been issued not to shoot demonstrators and whoever violates this bears full responsibility."
Interesting. Can the regime really just say "never mind" and hope that the people will not be angry any more? I always figure it is better to resolutely stick to an adequate plan than to shift strategies looking for the best one. Wouldn't gentleness and reform from the start or massive violence have done the trick better than killing alternated with restraint?
Of course, I'm not in the thug dictatorship business. Perhaps I should defer to the experts.
UPDATE: Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. Did Assad order the army to stop shooting? Or did the army tell Assad that the army would crack apart if ordered to continue shooting?
