DAMASCUS — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday appointed a committee to draft a new constitution within fours months, as activists reported more killings, arrests and gunfire in several cities.
The official SANA news agency said Assad issued a decree establishing a national committee to draft a new constitution in a period "not exceeding four months from the date of its creation."
The 29-member committee, headed by former justice minister Mizhar al-Annbary, includes Qadri Jamil, a communist member of the so-called "internal opposition" movement.
Mohammed Said Bkheitan, a senior official in the ruling Baath party, said in the week that the new document would require a two-thirds approval of the Assad-dominated parliament before being submitted to a referendum.
A new constitution has been a key demand of a protest movement that erupted in March 15 -- initially calling for greater freedoms and later demanding the ouster of the Assad regime.
Activists, meanwhile, reported at least six people killed by security forces on Saturday, which marked seven months of the revolt.
