President Bashar al-Assad accepted the resignations Tuesday, the same day that tens of thousands of Syrians poured onto the streets of Damascus to demonstrate in favor of the government. A new government should be named in a few hours, said Reem Haddad, a spokeswoman for the Syrian Information Ministry.
Meanwhile, the president plans to make "a very important speech" on Wednesday, she said. The speech will "reassure the Syrian people," the state-run SANA news agency has reported.
The pro-government rally on Tuesday followed violent clashes between protesters and security forces in the cities of Daraa and Latakia in recent days. At least 37 people have been killed since last week, according to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Many demonstrators at the pro-government rally held posters of the president. Others waved Syrian flags, while some painted their faces and chests in national colors. Crowds filled the square in front of the Central Bank and jammed all roads leading to it, aerial pictures on state TV showed.
There were also pro-government rallies in the cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Hasaka, the broadcaster said.
Analysis: "President Assad is employing a tactic used by Mubarak in Egypt and King Abdullah in Jordan, to different effects. In Jordan, a majority of protesters were at least temporarily satisfied by the move. In Egypt, however, the ire of the opposition was too focused on Mubarak, and concessions were too late. By appointing a new government relatively early in the opposition movement, Assad may delay or stop the spreading of major protests throughout Syria, giving the government time formulate a major concession package."
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