Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 3 / Trend A. Tagiyeva /
The events that happened in Tunisia and Egypt made an impact on Syria in the form of mass demonstrations and protests, but it will not lead to overthrowing of the president.
Naser al Ghazali, the president of the Damascus Center for Theoretical Studies and Civil Rights, thinks that demonstrations planned to be held in Syria on Feb. 5 are not aimed at overthrowing Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"The difference between the demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt and the protests in Syria is that people in Syria demand to conduct some reforms rather than change the regime," he said over phone from Stockholm.
The most massive anti-governmental protests took place in Egypt and some other Arab countries over the last decade. Thousands of people in different cities all over the country went into the streets calling for the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and dissolving the parliament.
Fearing a Tunisian scenario, Egyptian authorities dispersed the protesters with tear gas. Following two days of riots, over 1,000 demonstrators were arrested. Roughly 150 people died and more than 400 people were injured during the riots. The protesters do not conceal that the so-called "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia was the example for them. It occurred on Jan. 14. A new government was formed. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to leave the country.
Syrian citizens, inspired by the example of Egyptians and Tunisians, are preparing mass protests in Damascus, scheduled for Feb. 5, on the social network Facebook.
He said that all layers of society with common requirements participated in the demonstrations that took place in Egypt and Tunisia. However, supporters of the opposition, rather than ordinary citizens, are mainly involved in the protests in Syria.
He also stressed that the requirements of the Syrian people include four main points: adopting the law on freedom of political parties' activity, abolishing emergency situation, releasing political prisoners and granting of freedom of speech.
"The Syrians are not ready for changing the government. They do not feel the need for this," he said.
Last week, Assad said that he would keep the course of political reforms in the country, noting that the riots in Egypt force the leaders of the region to reconsider their approaches. He said that this year he will promote the political reforms aimed at municipal elections, strengthening the powers of non-governmental organizations and creating a new law on media.