( CNN ) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Saturday that the country 's state of emergency , in effect since 1963 , should be lifted by next week at the latest -- but that the final decision is up to the newly sworn-in Cabinet . Al-Assad made the announcement Saturday hours after the Cabinet was sworn in , and two days after he announced the formation of a new government . Opposition forces have been demanding the repeal of the emergency law , which allows the government to make preventive arrests and override constitutional and penal code statutes . the law also bars detainees who have n't been charged from filing court complaints or from having a lawyer present during interrogations . `` We ( will ) lift the state of emergency contrary to the opinion of many others who think this might lead to imbalance in the state of security , '' al-Assad said as he chaired a meeting of the new government . `` I disagree with this , and I think this will consolidate the security of the country . '' The president indicated he wants a new law allowing demonstrations to take place while protecting the public from `` any chaos or damage to properties '' and allowing Syrian security forces to enforce the law . `` We have to distinguish between reform and chaos , '' he said . `` The Syrian people are civilized people . They do n't like chaos , they do n't like instability . '' The new Cabinet includes a new prime minister -- Adel Safar , a Baath Party member who was the agricultural minister in the previous Cabinet , which resigned last month . Syria retained its foreign minister , Walid al-Moallem , and defense minister , Ali Habib , but there are new heads in other positions , including the key posts of interior , finance , and media affairs , Syrian television said . The announcement of the new Cabinet came amid continued anti-regime protests and clashes between demonstrators and security forces , a conflict that has caused scores of deaths . Al-Assad expressed sadness over the deaths and sent his condolences to the families of everyone who has died in the unrest . `` This period we pass through , the blood that has been shed in Syria , has been painful for all Syrians , '' he said . `` We are saddened by the death of any person who has been sacrificed . '' He said an investigation committee is looking into the deaths . Saturday afternoon , residents in Daraa rallied in the southern town 's central square , according to a doctor there who declined to be named out of fear for his security . The thousands who gathered there chanted for the reform of the regime , trials for officials responsible for protesters ' deaths , and solidarity with protesters in other cities . The doctor said no security forces or police were present and there were no injuries . Daraa was one of several cities where anti-government demonstrations happened Friday . Witnesses also reported demonstrations in Baniyas , Dair Elzour , Douma , Zabadani , the outskirts of Damascus and other cities where protesters called for political , economic and social changes . In most locales , the day seemed peaceful compared with previous Fridays , when bloody clashes left many dead and injured . Still , the Syrian Arab News Agency , the official government news service , said a police sergeant was `` martyred '' after being assaulted by protesters in Homs . Among the opposition demands is the end of one-party rule in Syria . Al-Assad had already said he was studying whether to end the 48-year-old state of emergency and provide citizenship for stateless people in the Kurdish region as a way to placate the demonstrators . Activists , however , say the government has cracked down violently on peaceful protesters . That claim is disputed by the Syrian government , which blames armed groups for attacking security forces and citizens . Human Rights Watch , a prominent humanitarian watchdog group , issued a report Friday detailing `` torture and ill-treatment '' of protesters over the past month , and U.N. human rights experts released a statement deploring the crackdown on peaceful demonstrations . In his address Saturday , al-Assad said the new government must `` narrow the gap between officials and the public '' and expand government transparency . He also discussed the need to address government corruption , the high cost of living , and the high rate of youth unemployment . CNN 's Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report .
NEW : The president expresses sadness for protesters ' deaths . Comment: Residents rally in Daraa for more reforms . NEW : Al-Assad addresses government corruption and unemployment . A new Cabinet was sworn in Saturday .