Syrian premier resigns

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa Miro resigned today – a move that had been expected since last month when President Bashar Assad said the country needed a reform minded government.

Assad asked the speaker of parliament Mohammed Naji al-Otarito to form a new government, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

The new Cabinet will not expected to affect Syria’s foreign policy, which is in the hands of the president.

The Syrian parliament is dominated by the National Progressive Front, which comprises the Baath party of Assad and seven other smaller parties.

At a meeting of the front early last month, the president said the government should make a priority of reform.

Assad has promised to improve Syrians’ lives by introducing accountability in government, modernising legislation, eliminating bureaucracy and revitalising the economy.

Though he has embarked on a series of reforms, including allowing private universities and banks and freeing hundreds of political prisoners, Assad has also clamped down on pro-reform activists, showing there is a limit to openness.

Under Assad’s late father, Hafez Assad, Syria had a totalitarian style of government with both political life and the economy under strict control.