DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appointed former Agriculture Minister Adel Safar to form a new government, the official SANA news agency reported on Sunday.  

The appointment came in the wake of anti-government protests in parts of the country, particularly in the southern town of Daraa, 100 km south to the capital Damascus. Clashes between security forces and protesters killed some 50 Syrians, according to official sources.

The Syrian authorities rushed to contain the protests through taking reform steps such as ending the country's emergency rule, increasing state servants' incomes and releasing political detainees.

Syrian authorities accused "armed groups supported by foreign powers" of seeking to incite sectarian strife in the country, denouncing international news agencies' reports for "exaggeration and unprofessionalism" on covering latest events.