Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Monday that he cannot remain in power indefinitely through military force.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Monday that his days as leader were numbered and he cannot remain in power indefinitely through military force.

"You can remain in power with tanks and cannons only up to a certain point. The day will come when you'll also leave," Erdogan told a meeting in Istanbul.

"Someone shows up and says 'I'll fight and die. Against whom will you fight? Will you fight against your Muslim brothers you rule in your country?" said Erdogan.

The prime minister was referring to an interview with Assad published in London's Sunday Times in which the Syrian leader vowed to fight and die for if faced with foreign intervention.

"Why do you open the way for an outside interference?" asked Erdogan. "Why don't you handle your own problem within yourself, without opening the way for any outside interference?"

Erdogan also denounced the use of military force "against those in Syria who demand a decent life".

Turkey has become increasingly vocal in its criticism of Assad's attitude towards protests against his regime.

Turkey last week it announced a halt to joint oil exploration and threatened to cut electricity exports.

Ankara also joined the Arab League at a meeting in Morocco in calling the Assad regime "to stop the bloodshed and to spare Syrian citizens from new acts of violence and killing".