Syrian President’s media advisor Buthaina Shaaban says Syria heading to raise wages, may scrap decades-old emergency law

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government said on Thursday it may scrap the decades-old emergency law.
  
"I am happy to announce to you the decisions made today by the Arab Baath party under the auspices of President Bashar al-Assad... which include... studying the possibility of lifting the emergency law and licensing political parties," the president's media adviser Buthaina Shaaban told a news conference.
  
Shaaban said the Syrian people's demands were just. She revealed that the President has formed a committee to study scrapping state of emergency law, with the aim of raising the standard of living. She also pledged that laws on media freedom and political parties to be drafted.

Shaaban said Assad had chaired a meeting of the ruling Baath party at which decisions taken included guaranteeing security for the people, and a higher committee to discuss with Daraa residents what had happened and sanction those responsible.
  
"Every decision that is being made has taken into account the people of Daraa," she said. "There are some demands and we will respond to these demands. Some of it will be very quickly. Some of it might take time and discussions. If there is a legitimate demand by the people then the authorities will take it seriously, but if somebody wants to just cause trouble then it is a different story," she warned.

Right after Shaaban's press conference, Syrian state media reported that President Bashar Assad has formed a committee to improve incomes, amid reports suggesting that Syria was heading to raise wages for state employee by up to 30%.