Syria Live Blog - March 30

Syria Live Blog - March 30

As the situation in Syria escalates, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe.  

• Timestamp: 

  11:40pm

  This blog is being wrapped up for now, but full coverage of developments in Syria can be found here.
  
   

• Timestamp: 

  11:15pm

  Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior analyst, deciphers whether the Syrian president's speech was historical or merely political. Click here to read the article.

• Timestamp: 

  10:58pm

  The US state department said Assad's speech lacked substance and would be a disappointment to those calling for change in nearly two weeks of demonstrations, some of which have been violently crushed by Syrian security forces.

  
  "Ultimately, it's going to be the Syrian people who judge what they heard today, and whether or not President Assad demonstrated positive movement forward in meeting their aspirations and hearing their call for political and economic and social reform," Mark Toner, the department spokesman, said.

  
  "We expect they are going to be disappointed," he said. 

  
  "We feel the speech fell short with respects to the kinds of reforms that the Syrian people demanded, and what President Assad's own advisers suggested was coming."

  
  "It's far too easy to look for conspiracy theories, [rather than] respond in a meaningful way to the call for reform," he said. "The emergency law is incompatible with the rights of citizens, who are seeking to exercise their universal aspirations and rights."

  Revoking emergency rule "would be the kind of step that would indicate reform," Toner said. 
  
  He added: "It's clear to us that [the speech] didn't really have much substance to it, and didn't talk about specific reforms, as was suggested in the run-up to the speech."
• Timestamp: 

  9:30pm

  The Obama administration has criticised Syria's president for saying "conspirators" were behind protests against his authoritarian rule and ignoring their call for reforms. 
  
  Mark Toner, the US state department spokesman, says President Bashar Assad's speech on Wednesday "fell short" of the democratic and economic changes demanded by Syrians. 
  
  He says Syria's emergency law should be revoked, and that the US is concerned about the potential for violence in continuing protests. 
  
  In the image below, Syrian labourers in Lebanon kneel to kiss pictures of President Assad during a pro-government rally outside the Syrian embassy in Beirut:
  
   
• Timestamp: 

  8:00pm

  Click here for our rolling coverage of the unrest in Syria. You can also get all the latest news developments by logging onto the front page of Al Jazeera English website.
  
  Below is the latest report about President Assad's speech given before the People's Assembly in Damascus:
  
   

• Timestamp: 

  7:20pm

  Here is a round-up of developments within hours of Assad's speech in Damascus:

  
  - One witness told Al Jazeera clashes broke out in front of the mayor's office in Latakia, where 12 people were killed last week during protests.

  
  - Residents of the port city of Latakia, who asked to remain unidentified for security reasons, said Syrian troops opened fire during a protest by about 100 people. It was not clear if they fired in the air or at protesters.

  
  - Syrian activists told Al Jazeera that they are very disappointed with Assad's speech and have called for more demonstrations after Friday prayers later this week. 
  
   
• Timestamp: 

  7:00pm

  President Assad says reform is needed, but annouces none. Now we are hearing protests may be about to kick off again.

  Assad addressed the violence in Daraa last week in which scores of protesters were killed by security forces.

  He said police were under orders not to fire on citizens in the southern city but some decisions may have been made at the spur of the moment amid the chaos.

  "It is important to find the reasons and causes and investigate and hold accountable those responsible if there have been actions that led to bloodshed," Assad said.

  Al Jazeera's Cal Perry has the latest reaction to his speech from the capital Damascus:
  
  

   

• Timestamp: 

  6:30pm

  We are hearing reports of new unrest in Syria, just a few hours after President Assad addressed the nation. 
  
  In Latakia, witnesses say security forces opened fire to disperse a crowd rallying outside the mayor's office. 
  
  They had been expecting the President to announce plans for political reform. 
  
  Instead he used his speech to accuse foreign conspirators and satellite television stations of causing the unrest.
  
  Haytham Manna, the spokesperson for the Arab Commission for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera he expects the protests in Syria to continue:
  
  
• Timestamp: 

  6:15pm

  Watch the Syrian State Television footage below of a woman approaching President Assad's car after his speech. She appears to be a protester and is immediately surrounded by security forces:
  
   

• Timestamp: 

  5:20pm

  President Assad defied expectations that he would lift Syria's decades-old emergency law after nearly two weeks of protests that have presented the gravest challenge to his 11-year rule. 
  
  Addressing the nation for the first time since the start of the unprecedented wave of protests, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world, Assad said he supported reform but offered no new commitment to change Syria's one-party political system. 
  
  Al Jazeera's correspondents have more on this developing story:

  
  
• Timestamp: 

  4:15pm

  During President Assad's speech, he said reforms have been under way for some time, however, Al Jazeera's correspondent found a different story. 
  
  Cal Perry was in Daraa, the city where the most violent protests took place and dozens were killed, to gauge reaction to the speech.
  
  In the video below, he recounted his experience:

  
  
• Timestamp: 

  3:00pm

  Good afternoon and welcome to our continuing coverage of the unrest in Syria. 
  
  You can read our main story on President Assad's first address to the nation since anti-government protests began here.
  
  As he entered Parliament for Wednesday's speech, legislators chanted "God, Syria and Bashar only!" and "Our souls, our blood we sacrifice for you Bashar."

  The speech is seen as a crucial test for his leadership and one that may determine Syria's future.

  Assad said it was an "exceptional time" and a "test for our unity".

  He said some Syrians who had demonstrated against his rule had legitimate demands and said the government supported the idea of reform.

  "We cannot say that everyone who went out [in the streets] is a conspirator. Let us be clear about that," Assad said. 
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  2:00pm

  Some people have gathered in the streets of Damascus were chanting:"The people want Bashar al-Assad"

• Timestamp: 

  1:55pm

  President Assad:"Some people on some satellite channels will come and say these reforms are not enough, don't get upset with these satellite channels, they fall into the same traps all the time, they lie and they start to believe their own lies.

• Timestamp: 

  1:48pm

  "The enemy always tried to weaken us. success always makes us assured. After each battle we have to maintain ourselves from outside conspiracies.

• Timestamp: 

  1:47pm

  Assad says:

  I know that many people have been waiting for this speech but I wanted to wait until I see the full picture clearly; our enemies are working very hard to strike at Syria."

• Timestamp: 

  1:46pm

  President Bashar al-Assad: "The latest's Events test our unity, these are repeated every now and then, due to the conspiracy against the nation. we will willingly overcome these difficulties.

• Timestamp: 

  1:44pm

  syrian president Bashar al-Assad speaks to the nation amid unrest in the country.

• Timestamp: 

  9:41am

  A wrap of the latest's developments in Syria by Omar al-Saleh
  
  
  
• Timestamp: 

  8:20am

  Twitter user @shinawatra2011 wrote: the governor of Tartous in Syria is calling his employees to rally everyone to support president Assad.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  8:13am

  Assad is to address the nation on Wednesday, according to a senior official, in his first speech in two weeks of unprecedented dissent.
  
  He is expected to elaborate on a string of reforms announced last week, amid a wave of dissent and protests demanding reform and more freedoms in the country, which has been ruled by the Baath party since 1963.