Syria loyalists rally as Arabs await response on deal

The Syrian minister flew into the Egyptian capital during the morning,airport officials confirmed.

In Damascus,hundreds of supporters of President Bashar al-Assad gathered in Sabaa Bahrat Square in the city centre chanting slogans in support of their beleaguered leader and against the sanctions ordered by the Arab League.

Huge flags of countries that have opposed punitive measures against the regime hung from surrounding office blocks,alongside the colours of Damascus’s regional allies.

“Hail to Russia,hail to China,” a rally organiser chanted over a loud-hailer,saluting the two veto-wielding UN Security Council permanent members’ blocking of an October resolution that would have threatened regime figures with “targeted measures”.

“Hail to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,hail to Hassan Nasrallah,” the speaker added referring to Syria’s closest regional allies,the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah,the Shiite militant group that dominates the current government in neighbouring Lebanon.

State television gave prominent coverage to the rally,hailing the young demonstrators’ desire to “express their support for the reforms being undertaken by President Assad and their rejection of foreign interference.”

But in Cairo,Arab diplomats said they expected the Syrian deputy foreign minister to ink an agreement setting out the terms of an Arab observer mission to oversee implementation of an Arab deal intended to protect Syrian civilians.

Damascus signed up to the overall package early last month but later raised objections to the observer mission,prompting the Arab League to issue an ultimatum that led to its sanctions vote on November 27. “The Syrian government is going to sign the protocol this afternoon,” said one diplomat said,speaking on condition of anonymity.

Under the terms of the deal that the observers are intended to oversee,Syrian security forces are required to pull back from the towns and villages that have been at the centre of nine straight months of protests and open negotiations with the opposition under League auspices.

The Omani minister responsible for foreign affairs said on Sunday that he was “optimistic” that Syria was now ready to sign up to the observer mission.