Mixed response

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem welcomed the new constitution, saying it marks the beginning of a new democratic era and will contribute to a stronger Syria.

Ali Qassim, editor-in-chief of state-run newspaper al-Thawra, echoed Moallem's remarks and called the referendum a prelude to political reforms in Syria.

The new constitution was not equally welcomed among the opposition. After refusing to take part in the referendum, the majority of the opposition groups was skeptical of its results, saying the vote count was "inaccurate" and "made-up."

Louay Hussain, president of opposition group Building the Syria State Movement, told Xinhua that he was skeptical.

"We do not believe the results as announced by the government, especially when the referendum lacked international supervision," Hussain said.

Abdel Aziz al-Khahir, spokesman for the National Coordinating Body for Democratic Change, said the referendum results were "completely made up."

Some parts of the new constitution, such as granting Assad the right to seek re-election, also drew sharp criticism.

Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, earlier this month dismissed the referendum as "laughable," and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week warned of the possibility of a full-scale civil war in Syria.

Meanwhile, the European Union on Monday toughened its sanctions on Syria, freezing all of its central bank's assets in Europe and ending precious metal imports from the troubled country.

Severe challenges

The security situation continued to worsen in Syria over the weekend. Rebel forces such as the "Free Syria Army" have drastically increased their strength in the past few months, posing a serious threat to government forces.

Meanwhile, government artillery has pounded the rebel-held Homs city since the beginning of this month. The battles have inflicted heavy casualties on both sides.

Most opposition groups have yet to heed a call from the government to hold a national dialogue that includes all political factions.

In addition, some 70 representatives of foreign governments and international bodies gathered in Tunisia on Friday for a so-called Friends of Syria meeting to exert pressure on the Assad government.