People were reacting not only to the Danish newspaper drawings - there is something inside the people. They tried to express their anger against something else - Western double standards in dealing with democracy, the economic situation - and they took it out on the embassies in Damascus.

Syria can't be important unless it plays its regional cards. This country is not wealthy and it doesn't have enough oil to be influential. We are playing the role of a bad student at school. If you don't make trouble, no one will pay attention to you.

Nobody listens, nobody reads. You have a very small circle of decision-makers in charge of decisions in the country. What do you expect?

If you hand over these people, you would contribute to undermining the regime. The Syrian government might think that sanctions are a better alternative at the end of the day.