In an interview with Syrian TV, Sheikh Ali Jassem al-Azel, an elder of al-Maamra clan in Hasaka governorate, said that Hasaka`s clans stand by the country and will not respond to the calls of criminal groups from abroad, saying that the names given by the opposition to each Friday constitute "fishing in troubled water."
Al-Azel said that reform and development is achieved through peaceful means, not murder and vandalism, noting that President Bashar al-Assad initiated many reforms and that the government and the leadership must be given time to continue.
He concluded by pointing out that life in Hasaka was normal except for less than two hundred people who gathered and repeated slogans calling for reform, walking 200 meters then dispersed.
In a similar statement, elder of al-Sabkha and Busubae clans, Sheikh Abdulmohsen al-Rakan said that the majority of clan elders in Raqqa governorate and eastern governorates agreed to refer to this Friday as "Friday of good portents and loyalty to the country" because they believe that Syria is a red line.
Al-Rakan said that all Syrians must protect their country and that they musn`t allow anyone fulfilling foreign agendas to speak on their behalf, reiterating the clan elders` firm stance and adherence to Syria and its stability. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
