Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to a leading private Syrian newspaper, has stressed that the crisis in his country is coming to a close, and that his security organizations had made mistakes in dealing with the weeks-old waves of popular unrest.

The newspaper Al-Watan said Assad held a sit-down with dignitaries from the Midan neighborhood of the Syrian capital, one of the few sites in Damascus where protestors have expressed their displeasure with the regime.
Assad, according to the newspaper, gave “assurances” that Syria had overcome its crisis and that the unrest was nearing an end. The paper quoted a participant as saying that a many topics were discussed: corruption, the role of the judiciary, revamping the state-run media, and the country’s next parliamentary elections. Assad was quoted as saying a new law on political parties was being prepared, one that will “meet the aspirations” of the Syrian people.
The president discussed the “mistaken practices” on the part of the country’s notorious security services, arguing that the secret police had been unprepared to “deal with circumstances such as these.”

While supporters of the regime might point to the latest stance by Assad as yet another step forward, the Syrian president’s comments also indicate the long distance the regime must travel to fully gain the respect of the population.
Assad mentioned mistakes made by the security services, but without indications that those who actually made the mistakes will be held accountable for their actions.

Regime officials are surely aware that for the foreseeable future, every Friday will constitute a significant test of political legitimacy. If protestors are allowed to peacefully express themselves, now that the state of emergency has been lifted, then one can say that true progress has been made.
Assad and the delegation also discussed the need to improve education, urban planning and other matters – but if the needs are so great, why has it taken Syrian officials so long to recognize the problems, and act, instead of diagnosing the situation?

Until the actual details of so many “reform” steps become clear, and are communicated to the public, and actually enforced, doubts will remain about whether things are really going to change for the better.
Saying that the security services were unprepared to deal with popular unrest might not please everyone, but this is irrelevant. The question now is whether the regime can translate the latest rhetoric into tangible actions on the ground, and truly put the past behind it.

Assad should realize that he must please the Syrian public, as well as the international community.
Condemnation and pressure from world leaders are on the rise, and the Syrian president will have to undertake tangible steps, and quickly, to avert a round of debilitating sanctions, which could cripple his economy further and contribute to even further unrest.