Erdogan Lashes Out at Assad, Says he ‘Lost his Legitimacy’
Turkish Prime Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a blistering attack on the Syrian regime, saying President Bashar Assad had lost his legitimacy and could lose power over his bloody crackdown on dissent.
Syria's crackdown has infuriated world powers, some of which imposed sanctions on the Damascus regime, with fresh pressure piled on Assad from neighboring Turkey.
"He who bases his power on bloodshed will end up leaving in a trail of blood," the Turkish premier told al-Jazeera television on Thursday.
"Shadows loom over the legitimacy of President Bashar Assad and his regime," Erdogan said.
Turkey has been angered at Syria's indifference to its repeated pleas to end months of bloodshed and has been edging closer to calling on former ally Assad to quit, following appeals by Western powers.
Source: Agence France Presse
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