TURKEY: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan says that President Bashar al-Assad had created a "terrorist state" in Syria

Record ID: 217598

  • Title: TURKEY: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan says that President Bashar al-Assad had created a "terrorist state" in Syria
  • Date: 5th September 2012
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (SEPTEMBER 5, 2012) (REUTERS) TURKISH RULING PARTY MEETING AK PARTY MEMBERS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER TAYYIP ERDOGAN SAYING: "They cut the connection of Deraa to the outside world for a week. Raiding each house they massacred 300 innocent civilians. Here, there is no difference between the separatist terrorist group and them. Th
  • Embargoed: 20th September 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3849GM99IRUQETK25SYO4UYKS
  • Story Text: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday (September 5) that President Bashar al-Assad had created a "terrorist state" in Syria and voiced further frustration at the lack of international consensus over the chaos there.

    "They cut the connection of Deraa to the outside world for a week. Raiding each house they massacred 300 innocent civilians. Here, there is no difference between the separatist terrorist group and them. The Syrian regime has become a terrorist state," Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling AK Party.
    Ankara initially cultivated good relations with Assad's administration, but Erdogan has become one of Assad's harshest critics since the uprising against him began 17 months ago.
    Turkey, struggling to cope with an influx of around 80,000 Syrian refugees, has repeatedly pushed for a foreign-protected safe zone inside Syria, but the proposal has gained little international support.
    Turkey has accused Assad of supplying arms to Kurdish PKK insurgents who have fought government troops in southeast Turkey for almost three decades, and has raised the possibility of military intervention in Syria if the PKK becomes a threat there. Assad has denied that Syria allowed PKK militants to operate on Syrian territory close to the Turkish frontier.
    The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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