Turkish Prime Minister said Ankara has suspended its talks with the Syrian government, and is considering joining the West-imposed sanctions on Assad
Following his meeting with US President Barack Obama in New York City, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Ankara has suspended its talks with the Syrian government, and is considering joining the West-imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Obama and Erdogan discussed various regional issues, including Turkey's tense relations with Israel, an issue the US president urged Erdogan to resolve. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Turkey on Monday not to do anything to worsen its relationship with Israel.
According to a White House statement, much of the meeting focused on Syrian unrest.
Speaking at a press conference in New York, Erdogan added that he will act along with the United States on the sanctions to be issued on Syria.
"I did not want to come to this point. But the Syrian government entailed us to make such a decision", Turkey's Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying.
"(The) Syrian government has launched a dark propaganda against Turkey. It is really obnoxious. We do not have any confidence in the current government. I will visit the camp in the southern Turkish province of Hatay. I want to see the living conditions in the camps," he said.
"President Obama thanked us for Turkey's positive attitude about NATO's missile system. As you know, the southern province of Malatya was chosen to deploy the anti-missile radar," Erdogan said.
Turning his attention to Libya, Erdogan said: "Today, I attended a UN conference on Libya. Dictatorship has come to an end and democratic process has begun in Libya. We should assist Libyan people till everything backs to normal. Then we can withdraw from Libya. The United Nations is ready to extend support to Libyan people," Erdogan told said at a news conference.
Erdogan said the United States and Turkey needed to "work together in planning, use technology so that we can continue to take more steps in trying to fight against terrorism."
