Erdogan voices support for 'glorious' Syrian opposition

By JPOST.COM STAFF AND REUTERS
11/01/2011 15:21

Turkish PM quoted as saying Ankara "cannot remain silent" in face of violent crackdown which has killed 3,000 people.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan again voiced support for the Syrian opposition on Tuesday, according to a Today's Zaman report.

“We had a friendship that began nine years ago but Syria failed to appreciate this. They [Syrian rulers] did not pay heed to our warnings. … But we cannot remain silent in the face of this process," Erdogan was quoted as saying.

Speaking at a parliamentary meeting, he added, "We will continue to display the necessary stance. I believe that the Syrian people will be successful in their glorious resistance."
Erdogan's comments came a day after NATO ruled out the possibility of military intervention in Syria.

Western powers have been tightening sanctions on Syria but have shown no appetite to repeat their Libyan operation in the Middle Eastern nation where protesters have demanded outside protection from a crackdown that has killed 3,000 people.

Months of protests have failed to dislodge Syrian President Bashar Assad, creating an unstable stalemate in a country sitting in the heart of the Middle East.

Assad warned the West over the weekend that meddling in its affairs would cause an "earthquake" in the Middle East where his country borders Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan.

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