TURKEY: "Friends of Syria" conference opens in Istanbul and Western and Arab nations seek to exert more pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

Record ID: 280524

  • Title: TURKEY: "Friends of Syria" conference opens in Istanbul and Western and Arab nations seek to exert more pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
  • Date: 2nd April 2012
  • Summary: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (APRIL 1, 2012) (16:9) (REUTERS) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER ALAIN JUPPE TAKING SEAT FOR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER ALAIN JUPPE SAYING: "We see the Syrian regime's tactic, they are trying to gain time. That is why we all agree that we need to set a deadline for the timing of this action. Tomorrow, Kof
  • Embargoed: 17th April 2012 13:00
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  • Location: Turkey, Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Reuters ID: LVA6A5YULKDO6GG6CF2BVSQ9MGGU
  • Story Text: Western and Arab nations sought to exert more pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday (April 1), mistrusting his acceptance of a plan to end a year of bloodshed, but were not expected to arm rebels or fully recognise an opposition council.
    Opening a "Friends of Syria" conference in Istanbul, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told foreign ministers and other officials from some 70 countries the peace plan suggested by U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan should be followed.
    "The international community should be stable about Syria. United Nations and Arab League decisions clearly show the road map to solve the problem," Erdogan said. He also warned that Assad's government might be playing for time.
    "The Syrian regime makes promises to gain more time, their promise to Kofi Annan may have been made to gain more time."
    The United States and its Gulf Arab allies urged special envoy Annan on Saturday (March 31) to set a timeline for "next steps" if there was no ceasefire.
    Violence has raged unabated despite Annan's mediation.
    Syrian National Council leader Burhan Ghalioun pressed the "Friends of Syria" to strengthen the rebel Free Syria Army and open humanitarian corridors for civilians bearing the brunt of Assad's crackdown.
    "I want you to remember your responsibility and show real solidarity. My people need help. We want a buffer zone to protect civilians. We want you to provide more help to the Free Syrian Army which is fighting for its people. We want you to recognise the Syrian National Council, the legitimate representative of the Syrian people."
    But Western countries fear strident opposition from Russia and China, which did not attend the Istanbul meeting, as well as the prospect of being sucked into an intractable conflict.
    They have slapped sanctions on Syria, but these have failed so far to soften the government's crackdown on its opponents.
    French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called for stricter implementation of the sanctions.
    "So the idea is to co-ordinate those sanctions and to check that they are really implemented on the ground. And we will also try to convince the other members of the group of Friends of Syria to implement those sanctions against the people involved in the repression, of course, but also the freeze of financial assets of the central bank, oil embargo, and other sanctions of that kind."
    Wary of military intervention and unsure of the credibility of the fractious opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), Western powers have yet to discover how to unseat Assad.
    If Annan's effort fails, the next steps could include a return to the Security Council for a binding resolution, with increased pressure on Assad's allies Russia and China, which have endorsed Annan's mission, to get tough with Damascus.
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