Syrian president may announce changes to constitution

Syrian President Bashar Assad will soon announce changes to the country's constitution, a Syrian politician said on Friday. "At the very beginning of the crisis, a big package of reforms was announced, and they are already being implemented in Syria," said Yasser Houriya, a regional leader of Syria's ruling Arab Socialist Baath Party. "Only the issue of the Constitution remains, and I hope the president will soon announce constitutional changes and relevant reforms," he said, adding that the new constitution will "match all modern democratic norms and standards." The government crackdown on opposition protests is estimated to have killed at least 2,000 civilians since demonstrations began in Syria five months ago. The Syrian authorities have intensified their crackdown since the beginning of Ramadan, fearing that dissidents would incite the crowds at daily prayers to organize larger protests. In a phone conversation on Wednesday, Assad told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that all operations against protesters in Syria had been halted. But as reports of new violence followed the pledge, Syria's authoritarian ruler faced mounting pressure from world powers on Thursday.