by Adnane Zaka
DAMASCUS - Tens of thousands of people converged on Damascus Wednesday in a show of support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is under intense international pressure over his regime's dominance of neighbouring Lebanon.
The crowd chanted "God, Syria, Bashar" and "One, one, one, Syria and Lebanon are one" as they brandished portraits of the Syrian president, his late father Hafez al-Assad and the head of the Lebanese Shiite fundamentalist movement Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
The rally, broadcast live on Syrian state television, came a day after a massive pro-Syrian rally in Beirut organised by Hezbollah in a bid to counter the international demands for Damascus to end its three-decade military and political grip on Lebanon.
At the call of one leading demonstrator, the crowd headed to the presidential palace amid shouts of "We want to see you Bashar," prompting the Syrian leader to appear at a window of the building and wave to the crowd.
Demonstrators sang patriotic songs by renowned Lebanese diva Fairuz and carried placards reading "Syria is the protective fortress of the Lebanese" and "the pullback from Lebanon strengthens our interests and does not mean that Syria will no longer have a role".
Another banner read "Syria is the beating heart of the Arab world".
Other supporters waved Syrian, Hezbollah, Palestinian and Syrian Baath party flags, while one person carried a Syrian flag featuring the Lebanese national symbol, the cedar tree.
Demonstrators flocked in from around the country to attend the rally, as cars honking their horns blocked the streets of the Syrian capital. Hundreds of buses were parked along an avenue in the west of Damascus an hour ahead of the demonstration.
The official Syrian press said the gathering was in response to a "call from private companies and social, cultural and sports organisations to support the national position" announced by Assad in a rare speech to parliament on Saturday.
In his address to legislators, Assad announced that Syria would pull its remaining 14,000 troops in Lebanon into the eastern border region of the Bekaa Valley, although the move falls short of international calls for a full withdrawal.
03/09/2005 14:33 GMT