
In this photo taken on a government-organized tour for the media, a Syrian boy passes next to Syrian government army soldiers, at one of several suburbs of Damascus that saw heavy fighting between troops and defectors before Assad's forces retook the areas in late January, in Harasta suburb, Damascus, Syria Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum for later this month on a new constitution that would allow political parties other than his ruling Baath Party, the centerpiece of reforms he has promised to ease the crisis, even as the Syrian military on Wednesday besieged rebellious areas. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)