Turkey searches ways to pressure Syria

Turkey's foreign minister says he will propose new ways to pressure Syria when he meets with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday Today`s Zaman reported

But at a press event Friday, Ahmet Davutoglu did not elaborate on what steps he would discuss with Clinton to force Syria to end violence against civilians.

He also told reporters that he believes from recent discussions with Iranian officials that Tehran is ready for new talks with the West on limiting its nuclear program.

"I think this time Iran has seen that there is a need for negotiation," he said. "This time I am more optimistic."

At the same time, a European Union official who follows the issue told The Associated Press that as of Friday, Iran had still not responded to an Oct. 21 offer of more talks with representatives of the international community. The official, who spoke from a European capital, asked for anonymity in exchange for discusssing confidential information.

On Syria, Davutoglu said that Turkey is looking for ways outside the United Nations Security Council to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime to stop killing civilians. The crackdown has killed more than 5,400 people since an uprising began in March.

Davutoglu's message comes after Russia and China blocked a Security Council resolution that would have called on Assad to resign. The United States, meanwhile, has proposed a meeting of "Friends of Syria" to explore ways to further isolate Assad and bolster his opposition.

France and Turkey, both of which have historic and commercial interests in Syria, have offered to host the meeting. Morocco, which sponsored the UN Security Council resolution calling for Assad to step down is also a candidate.

Davutoglu said that he wants to send a signal that Assad's operations against civilians have undermined his legitimacy and will lead to his own ouster.

"What we need today is to send a strong message to the Syrian people that they are not alone," he said.

He said that Assad had lost all credibility both inside Syria and abroad. He noted the large number of defections from the Syrian army. He estimated that 40,000 soldiers had walked off following orders to attack civilians.

The most urgent issue for the international community, Davuto?lu said, was to force Syria to accept humanitarian missions in besieged cities.


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