Assad mobbed by supporters

Hundreds of supporters swarmed around Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after he made a speech denouncing the opposition as "puppets of the West".

President Bashar al-Assad made his first speech for six months, confirming he is still in his capital Damascus but taking a hardline stance offering no new concessions to the rebel opposition which has seized swathes of Syria.
He announced what he described as a peace plan on Sunday, calling for a reconciliation conference with "those who have not betrayed Syria", to be followed by the formation of a new government and an amnesty.
"The first stage of a political solution would require that regional powers stop funding and arming (the opposition), an end to terrorist operations and controlling the borders," he said.
"We will not have dialogue with a puppet made by the West," he said.
Mr Assad was greeted like a conquering hero by an audience at a theatre in Damascus, which rose and chanted his name. As he finished, he stepped down into the auditorium and was mobbed like a pop star.

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