Syrian leader Assad allows opposition political parties after weeks of bloody unrest

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday issued a decree allowing opposition political parties, bowing to at least one demand for reform after weeks of bloodshed that has left more than 1,600 people dead.

State media reported the decree after the United Nations condemned Assad's brutal suppression of democracy protests, and as tens of thousands of people took to the streets again despite the threat of tank-fire and bullets.

"President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday issued Legislative Decree No. 100 for 2011 on Parties Law and Legislative Decree No. 101 for 2011 on General Election Law," the official SANA news agency said, according to AFP.

It said political parties cold be established and function alongside Assad's Baath party, which has ruled since 1963 with the constitutional role of "leader of state and society."

Activists have been pushing for political pluralism and other reforms to open up Syrian society and loosen the grip of Assad and his military-backed security apparatus.

Human rights groups say the regime has killed more than 1,600 civilians and arrested thousands since the unrest began on March 15, as a wave of street protests shook autocratic regimes across the Arab world.

CNN reported:

The decree issued by Assad may have the power to bring to an end decades of single-party rule by the Baath Party in Syria, although it remains unclear how the new law will be implemented.

The draft law was earlier passed by Syrian lawmakers … and grants citizens the right to establish political parties with the aim of contributing to political life "through peaceful and democratic means."

But opposition groups say they doubt Assad is genuinely committed to meaningful reform and fear the decrees are simply window-dressing for what will essentially remain a closed political system.

Violence continued despite the decrees, with more protesters reported killed in Damascus, near Daraa in the south and Palmyra in the center of the country, AFP reported.

Around 120 people had been killed across the country in recent days, including in a tank assault on the flashpoint town of Hama that left at least 95 people dead on Sunday.

The Syrian government says it is fighting "armed terrorist gangs" in the town.

Assad's decrees come a day after the U.N. Security Council condemned the crackdown on protesters and called for an immediate end to violence by all parties.

(Earlier on GlobalPost: Syrian tanks move into Hama, drawing international protest (VIDEO))