Turkey Says Ready to Work with U.N. if Syria Crisis Worsens
Turkey is ready to work with the United Nations if a humanitarian crisis develops in neighboring Syria after months of deadly political unrest, its foreign minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.
"We hope that before the situation reaches that stage, the Syrian administration will halt the unjust war it has waged against its own people and find ways to make peace with its people," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, the Anatolia news agency reported.
"But if a humanitarian tragedy unfolds before our eyes, and if the U.N. steps in, we are ready work with the United Nations," he added.
His remarks came as an Arab League meeting opened in Cairo to decide the future of its heavily criticized observer mission to Syria, where a regime crackdown on the opposition has left more than 5,000 people dead, according to U.N. figures.
Davutoglu said Turkey would support any decisions made at the Cairo talks but added: "If the Arab League and regional initiatives fail to produce a solution ... the issue will gain an international dimension."
The Turkish minister also said he would visit Russia on Tuesday for consultations on the Syrian crisis.
Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, has been at the forefront of international criticism over the Damascus regime's crackdown on protests and has also become a haven for many Syrian opposition activists.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also urged his once close friend, President Bashar al-Assad, to quit.
Source: Agence France Presse
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