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Turkey open to US proposal for 'Friends of Syria' group
Turkey said Friday it is open to a US proposal for a new group of international supporters of Syria after UN action failed, and called for gaining urgent humanitarian access to suffering Syrians.
Saying Turkey cannot stand idly before a "massacre" turns into a greater tragedy, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he will meet US Secretary Hillary Clinton on Monday to discuss a new international initiative.
"We are calling for a new international awareness that could be in the form of like 'Friends of Democratic Syria' or in the form of other names. This is discussable," Davutoglu told reporters in Washington.
The Turkish government announced Wednesday it is trying to organize "as soon as possible" an international conference that seeks a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis, but did not set a date or a venue.
"Now we need to revitalize a new international initiative," Davutoglu said, adding it will serve as a "signal" to the Syrian people that they are not alone and that President Bashar al-Assad's regime cannot continue with its crackdown.
"We hope that with such a strong message those who are supporting Bashar al-Assad or (the) regime at this moment, they will have to make a reassessment," Davutoglu said, alluding to Russia and China.
During a visit to Bulgaria on Sunday after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on Syria, Clinton vowed to work with the "Friends of a Democratic Syria" worldwide to support the opposition's peaceful plans for change.
She did not name countries, but Turkey, the Arab states and western countries all supported the UN resolution aimed at condemning Assad's 11-month crackdown on mainly peaceful pro-democracy protesters.
State Department officials said a "Friends of Democratic Syria" can discuss ways to bolster existing sanctions against the Syrian regime and seek further ones to block funding and arms shipments to Damascus.
The State Department has also called for finding a way to provide humanitarian aid to the Syrians, something Davutoglu called an urgent priority without specifying how it could be delivered.
"It is time for humanitarian access to these cities," he said, referring to cities like Homs that are being shelled by the Syrian army.
"It is a must. There must be some international initiatives for this humanitarian access," he said.
"If Russia and China want to help to Syria, they must be helpful for this humanitarian access. This is not foreign intervention," he said, tackling Russian fears the West will back Libya-style foreign military intervention.
