DAMASCUS – Syrian pro-government protesters put on a show of strength Wednesday as hundreds of thousands rallied in the Syrian capital in support of President Bashar Assad’s rule, in apparent response to growing international support for the recently formed opposition council.

The demonstration followed a call on the Facebook page “My homeland, Syria” for Assad supporters to rally to “reinforce unity and solidarity with the families of martyrs and thank Russia and China for their stand against the conspiracy” at the U.N. Security Council.

Russia and China, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, used their vetoes on Oct. 4 to block a Western resolution threatening Assad’s regime with “measures” if it did not end its bloody crackdown on dissent.

The demonstration also denounced the Syrian National Council, an umbrella body formally set up on Oct. 2 that has pulled together most of the groups opposing Assad.

Placards in the central Sabaat Bahrat district proclaimed “The army and people with you, Bashar Assad” and “Syria is our country and Assad our president.” A giant portrait of the president dominated the area.

The United Nations says the repression has caused more than 2,900 deaths since protests erupted in mid-March.

Syrian authorities accuse “armed terrorist gangs” of being behind the trouble. Damascus has threatened retaliation against any country that recognizes the SNC.

But Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Wednesday hailed as an “important step” the creation of the opposition front, urging Assad to talk to them.

“It is in the interest of Syria that the government sits with and reaches an agreement with this council over the nature of a new constitution that would preserve the balance of the Syrian nation,” the ruler of the energy-rich Gulf state said in remarks aired on the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel.

“I think that the council enjoys legitimacy among the protesters in Syria,” he added.

The European Union Monday welcomed the council’s formation and urged the world to do the same, as it readied new sanctions against Assad’s autocratic government.

Meanwhile, Burhan Ghalioun, a prominent SNC figure, said Western nations are not doing enough to pressure Russia into changing its stance on Syria and must do more to support the burgeoning opposition, France 24 Television reported Wednesday.

Paris-based Burhan Ghalioun, considered the group’s leader, said the newly formed SNC hoped to get recognition from European countries once its structure is in place.

France, the first Western country to recognize Libya’s opposition, has been championing the cause of pro-democracy protesters in Syria, leading calls for a U.N. Security Council resolution to condemn the government’s bloody crackdown on them.

In a symbolic display of support, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe met Ghalioun in Paris earlier this week.

“Juppe’s gesture was significant,” Ghalioun said. “The French will consult the other Europeans and we hope to have recognition from European countries later, but let’s wait a few days, weeks,” he said.

Ghalioun, an intellectual and political sociologist based at the Sorbonne university, was thrust into the limelight this year when peaceful protests against Assad’s government turned violent and demonstrators looked for somebody to help galvanize various strands of the opposition.

He said the West could be more “aggressive” in its approach to Russia, which has refused to join international condemnation of Syria’s long crackdown on protesters and used its veto along with China to reject a draft U.N. resolution.

Ghalioun, 66, also called for a conference bringing together the main stakeholders in the Syrian conflict.

“I think the European Union and Western countries have not done everything politically to convince Russia and other reticent countries,” Ghalioun said. “I don’t think there are strong enough positions and actions.”

Ghalioun stressed that despite differences within the opposition, efforts are being made “to make sure there is just one voice.”

“I don’t think the opposition is divided. I think the opposition is unanimous on one objective: the end of the regime and fall of Bashar Assad,” he said.

In comments to the pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat Wednesday, Ghalioun responded to allegations that he had recently visited Damascus and met with government officials.

Ghalioun said the allegations were part of government propaganda aimed at discrediting the Syrian opposition, describing such reports as “intelligence games.”

Omar Idelbi, spokesperson for the Local Coordination Committees, told The Daily Star Wednesday that the opposition trusted Ghalioun, adding that government propaganda will not succeed in breaking the opposition.

“I assure you that there are no divisions within the opposition. The government was terrified by the formation of the SNC, and that is why it is escalating its attacks against us,” he said.

Back in Damascus, prominent dissident Walid al-Bunni, who was arrested in August, was freed on bail Wednesday, his lawyer Michel Shammas said.

“The Damascus court of appeals on Wednesday freed opposition figure Walid al-Bunni in exchange for a bail of 1,150 Syrian pounds ($23). He will be tried later for inciting [anti-government] demonstrations and sectarianism,” he said.

Bunni was detained on Aug. 6 along with his two sons, who were released shortly afterward. In 2000, Bunni was one of the prime movers of the short-lived “Damascus Spring” amid hopes for reform that followed Assad’s accession to the presidency after the death of his father, Hafez.