Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met here on Thursday notables from the southern town of Daraa to hear the protesters' demands in the wake of unrest that racked the town, the state-run al-Ekhbaria TV reported.
The meeting came in an attempt to contain the crisis that emerged recently in Daraa after clashes between anti-government demonstrators and security forces, which caused the death of dozens of people, Xinhua reported.
The protests erupted in Daraa one month ago, demanding the authorities to set free 15 students detained for writing graffiti inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt.
The protests rapidly spread to other parts of the country, including the capital Damascus, and scores of people were killed in clashes with the security forces.
The authorities announced recently a series of reform initiatives, such as ending the country's emergency rule, which has been implemented since 1963, releasing dozens of political detainees and sacking the government and the governors of Daraa and Homs provinces upon people's demands.
Damascus accuses "foreign powers" of standing behind the occurrences to fuel the sectarian and ethnic strife in the country.
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