Thousands attend Syria rally marking 12 anniv. of war

(15 Mar 2023) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Idlib, Syria -15 March 2023 1. Various of people demonstrating 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Maher Abu Salih, protestor: “We have been repeating ourselves for the last 12 years-we will not make peace and the revolution will continue until the criminal Assad falls and for him to be held accountable until we get our rights. We will continue no matter how much the international community tries to make him (Assad) look good and no matter how much the Arab countries and the leaders of these Arab countries trying to normalise relations with Assad. No matter how much they try, rebels don’t perish. Damn your soul Hafez.” 3. Various of rally 4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Selma Seif, protestor: “We all want to say that the revolution will continue even if the whole world normalises with the regime who tried to take advantage of the earthquake, the catastrophe of the earthquake, to make the regime look good. The earthquake is only 1 percent of what the regime did. What the earthquake did is not even a drop in the bucket from the destruction caused by the Assad regime in Syria. We will continue the revolution and even if it continues for another 12 years, we are continuing either to the path of victory or martyrdom.” 5. Various of rally STORYLINE: Thousands of Syrians took to the streets in Idlib to continue to call for the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad on the 12th anniversary of the Syrian civil war. The rally in Idlib city centre was the largest in years. The city of Idlib is the last urban area still under opposition control in Syria. As Syria’s conflict enters its 13th year, Syrian President Bashar Assad has had a reemergence in the political scene with many oil-rich Gulf Arab countries normalising relations with the country after almost a decade of being shunned internationally. The Syrian conflict has killed more than half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. Those displaced include more than 5 million refugees, mostly in neighboring countries. The Feb. 6, earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 50,000 people, including about 6,000 in Syria, exacerbated the destruction caused by Syria's 12-year conflict which has killed nearly half a million people. But it has also opened the door for diplomacy for Assad. The quake and recent rapprochement between regional powerhouses Iran and Saudi Arabia, who since 2011 have supported rival groups in Syria’s conflict have helped Assad back into the fold. AP video shot by Ghaith Alsayed =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...