UN team in Syria, Bashar al-Assad to address the nation

A UN humanitarian team was today in Syria to assess crisis needs as President Bashar al-Assad prepared to speak to the nation after Western leaders called for his resignation over his regime's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

Officials told AFP the embattled President would appear on television in the evening after the "iftar" meal that breaks the Muslim Ramadan fast, which has been a time of near-daily protests against Assad's regime.

"President Bashar al-Assad is to give the Syrian Arab TV today a comprehensive dialogue-interview about the current situation in Syria, the ongoing reform process, and about the implications of US and Western pressures on Syria politically and economically," the state-run SANA news agency reported.

Assad's television appearance will be his first since June 20, and only his fourth since pro-democracy demonstrations erupted in mid-March.

A UN mission began its first full day in Damascus today, arriving the previous evening to assess humanitarian needs in the wake of the crackdowns, which have left more than 2,000 people dead.

"Most of the team is in place in Syria now," a UN humanitarian department spokeswoman, Amanda Pitt, told AFP late yesterday. It was not known when the experts would start their work in areas of concern across the country.

The team is led by the head of the Geneva bureau of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Rashid Khalikov, who is now in Damascus, the official said.