Louis vuitton outlet Thousands of antigovernment demonstrators took to the streets Monday immediately after Syrian President Bashar Assad delivered his first public address in two months, a speech promising political reforms but offering no concrete steps toward democracy demanded by a burgeoning protest movement.

But blaming unspecified foreign conspirators for instigating protests that have drawn a violent reaction from his security forces, louis vuitton handbags Assad fell far short of opening up one of the world's most tightly controlled police states. Indeed, the longtime president continued to insist that "conspiracy is blooming in Syria," describing the perpetrators as "vandals" and "germs" that had infected the country. louis vuitton shoes

At the same time, some pro-democracy activists acknowledged that the tone of Assad's speech was less arrogant than in previous addresses and said he at least attempted to acknowledge the country's dire situation.

Louis vuitton outlet Unlike in two previous speeches on the protests, Assad on Monday spoke of martyrs "on both sides" and said that "innocent blood was shed." louis vuitton bags Sounding confident and appearing in good spirits, he urged thousands of Syrians who have fled to refugee camps in Turkey to return home. louis vuitton shoes

Western officials eyeing stronger action against Syria for its alleged human rights violations dismissed the speech as mere rhetoric. "What is important now is action, not words," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington. "A speech is just words."Activists said an authority handpicked by the government would fail to address the roots of the problem. louis vuitton

"Who are these people who will take part in the dialogue?" said Georges Chachan, a member of Syria's Assyrian community and an opposition activist now living in Belgium. louis vuitton purses "If they are people chosen by the regime to speak in the language of the regime and to work on the timetable of the regime, then we have a problem.

vibram five fingers In recent weeks, Assad announced several reforms, including the removal in April of a decades-old emergency law that curtailed civil liberties and the issuance of citizenship rights to the country's long-repressed Kurdish minority. Such changes failed to quell the protests or rein in security forces increasingly using deadly weapons on demonstrators. five finger shoes Late Monday, protesters were already gearing up for another round of nightly protests leading up to mass demonstrations after weekly prayers Friday.

mbt shoes "The president is a hypocrite," said Adel Othman, a Syrian opposition activist reached in the eastern city of Dair Alzour. "He acknowledges our demands as legitimate but then calls us conspirators, traitors and criminals. If he really believed this was a foreign conspiracy, why would he want to talk to us anyway?" mbt