Some 287 Syrians send petition to al-Assad: A call to convene a national conference to withstand changes

Some 287 Syrians representing intellectuals, political activists, lawyers, engineers and others extended a petition to President Bashar al-Assad sent by registered mail in Damascus on May 17, in which they called for a "comprehensive national reform."

The petition spoke of the need to withstand the "change of strategic references surrounding our homeland Syria" following the invasion of Iraq and this is to "immunize" the country after "our situations ended in a state of unprecedented weakness because of accumulated mistakes that alienated people from their public affairs and fatigues the state and the society."

The paition specified "rescue" steps including "release of all political prisoners" permitting the return back of those expelled, and "abrogating the state of the emergency law," the "practices and authorities of the security departments," the freedom of opinion and meeting, and the expression," and convening a national conference to be attended by all Syrian figures and political forces.