Assad reshuffles government.

Reshuffling the Cabinet in Syria.

On Saturday Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree to form a new government shaking up many cabinet posts but keeping the head of Defense in place.

Assad has argued that he is pursuing reforms even as he fights a revolt he says is led by foreign-backed militants.

Some local residents just want the country to pick itself up again, regardless of who was in charge.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LOCAL RESIDENT, NADA AL-EITA, SAYING:

"I hope Syria returns to what it was. If this is the government's job I hope they work on this. And if this was other people's job I hope they work on it."

Most of the top government posts were given to Baathist loyalists. Critics consider the cabinet to be largely symbolic and say power in Syria remains in the hands of Assad and his close inner circle of family and security force elites.

The new cabinet follows a May 7 parliamentary election which Assad said was part of the path to reform but the opposition boycotted as a sham, insisting the president must step down.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters