Ankara: Turkey no longer has confidence in the Syrian regime, its prime minister said yesterday, warning Syrian President Bashar Al Assad that his brutal crackdown on opponents threatens to place him on a list of leaders who "feed on blood."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also urged Assad to punish those responsible for attacks on Turkish diplomatic missions in Syria.
Addressing Al Assad disrespectfully by his first name, Erdogan said: "Bashar, you who have thousands of people in jail, must find the culprits and punish them."
Al Assad's supporters tried to break into Turkish missions on Saturday to denounce an Arab League decision to suspend Syria's membership over its crackdown on the eight-month uprising. Turkey is not a member of the league, but welcomed the decision.
Erdogan took pains to note that his comments were politically neutral.
Edge of the abyss
"It is not among our expectations that the Al Assad regime meet all the demands of the [Syrian] people," Erdogan said. "Our wish is that it, which is now on a knife-edge, does not enter this road of no return, which leads to the edge of the abyss."
Turkey evacuated the families of diplomats after Saturday's attacks on its embassy in Damascus and its consulates in the cities of Aleppo and Latakia.
"I again strongly condemn the attack on the Turkish flag and our missions," Erdogan said.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul warned Syria that it must protect Turkish missions.
"If they don't take necessary measures, no doubt our reaction will be different if it is repeated," Gul said.
Turkey has long urged Syria to end the crackdown, which the UN estimates has killed more than 3,500 people since mid-March.
"No regime can survive by killing or jailing," Erdogan said. "No one can build a future over the blood of the oppressed."
Turkey's government had cultivated warm ties with Al Assad, but has grown highly critical of his government.
Turkey has imposed an arms embargo on Syria and is expected to announce other sanctions. Turkey has also opened its borders to Syrians fleeing the violence. More than 7,700 refugees are being sheltered in several Turkish camps along the Syrian border.
Turkey has also allowed a Syrian opposition group, the Syrian National Council, to hold meetings in Turkey.
Last chance
In Morocco, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday said Syria's leadership was offered a last chance to stop its violent repression of anti-government protests but rejected it.
"The Syrian regime does not want to listen to the demands of its people," Davutoglu told a news conference in the Moroccan capital. "Unfortunately, it still shoots its own people."
"We have given a last opportunity to the Syrian regime but they didn't want to seize it," Davutoglu said. "We cannot afford to sit idle."
