Syria denies gatherings in Damascus
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Xinhua, August 27, 2011
Syria's state media on Saturday denied that there are any protests or any kind of gatherings at al- Abasseen and Ummayyad squares in Damascus, in contrast to what some "provocative" satellite channels had broadcasted earlier in the day.
The Qatari al-Jazeera TV and the Saudi Al-Arabiya have reported that people gathered at Damascus' squares of Abasseen and Ummayad and marched to the Kafarsuseh neighborhood to break a siege allegedly imposed by security force on al-Rifai mosque there.
The state TV disputed the reports, airing live footage of the areas seeming empty except of some passers-by.
Calm prevails the two squares and life is normal, the report said.
The authorities has been accusing al-Jazeera and some other foreign media of ignoring the facts on the ground as well as incitement and fabricating events in their coverage of Syria's anti-government protests.
A day earlier, SANA said five law-enforcement members were injured by the armed groups at the eastern province of Deir el- Zour and the Damascus suburb of Douma.
Syria has been in unrest since mid-March when anti-government protests broke out in the southern province of Daraa and spread to other cities.
The Syrian authorities blamed the unrest on "armed groups and foreign conspiracy," and stressed that it would track down gunmen who have intimidated people and damaged public and private properties.
