Syria - State of Emergency Lifted

Sort of.

Syria's ruling Baath party has voted to ease a state of emergency that has been in force for more than 40 years.

The four-day congress also decided to allow new political parties to be formed, but parties based on religion or ethnicity are expected to be banned.

The congress has also adopted a "social market economy", which seems a first step towards a free market economy.

Recommendations must be approved by parliament and it may take more than a year before they come into force.

As usual, the BBC fail to give credit where credit is due.

The BBC correspondent in Damascus says the reforms, which came at a time of huge international pressure on Syria, were certainly not the great leap forward promised by President Bashar al-Assad - an opinion shared by Syrian pundits.

The BBC just can't bring themselves to give Bush the credit for the changing face of the Middle East. There's a long way to go to be sure, but there is no doubt if not for Bush, the Middle East today would be status quo.
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