Syria plans February vote on new constitution

Feb 15, 2012, 16:19 GMT

Beirut - Embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday ordered a referendum on a draft constitution that would allow political parties other than his Baath Party to run in elections as his troops pursued a crackdown on dissent.

'Licensed political parties and electoral rallies will take part in national political life and have to respect national sovereignty and democracy,' read a copy of the draft posted online by the state-run news agency SANA. The vote is slated for February 26.

The draft scraps a passage in the current constitution, which stipulates that Baath is the 'leader of state and society.'

The Syrian opposition rejected the move and western powers voiced doubt about its sincerity.

'The opposition cannot accept a political solution like this (the referendum) while the regime continues to brutally kill our people,' said Naji Tayyara of the Syrian National Council.

'I think this regime has no serious intention for any political reform,' he said, speaking by phone from Dubai.

Speaking during a visit to Brazil, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said: 'I have my doubts about whether the referendum decreed by President (Bashar al-) Assad can solve the serious crisis in Syria.'

The United States also dismissed the move and called on al-Assad to end the violence against his people and allow for a democratic transition.

'From our perspective, it looks like he's putting forward a piece of paper that he controls to a vote that he controls in an effort to try to maintain control,' State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. 'And it's frankly not working in any other capacity, so we don't think this is going to work either.'

Syrian forces pursued large-scale military operations in the dissident cities of Homs and Hama, killing at least 15 people, activists said.

Ten people were killed in the central city of Homs, which was shelled for the 11th consecutive day, said activists.

'The army used helicopters to comb several areas in Baba Amr,' Omar Homsi told dpa by phone. He was referring to a district in Homs where rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army are holed up.

An explosion hit a major gas pipeline in Baba Amr, engulfing the area with thick black smoke, footage posted on YouTube showed.

Activists based in Homs said an air strike by government aircraft had caused the explosion, the second in less than a week.

State-run media said 'an armed terrorist group' was behind the blast.

In Hama, some 50 kilometres north of Homs, government troops shelled several neighbourhoods and cut off electricity and communications services in the city. At least five people were killed in the shelling attacks, activists said.

Western powers are working a new United Nations Security Council resolution that would win the approval of Russia, which earlier this months vetoed an Arab-Western draft that called on al-Assad to step down.

French Freign Minister Alain Juppe said his country was 'renegotiating a resolution at the Security Council to see if we can get the Russians to give in.'

The UN General Assembly is set this week to vote on a resolution condemning the Syrian government's crackdown on the 11-month uprising.