Assad Praises Turkey anti-Erdogan Opposition

 

Local Editor

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday hailed Turkish opposition to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's backing for the militant opposition that sparked in Syria nearly two years ago, Agence France Presse reported. Assad’s statement came during a meeting with a Turkish opposition delegation. The Syrian President told the Republican People's Party delegation there was "a need to distinguish between the stance of the Turkish people, who support stability in Syria, and the positions of Erdogan's government, which supports terrorism, extremism and destabilization in the region," state-run news agency SANA reported. "The Syrian people appreciates the position adopted by forces and parties in Turkey that reject the Erdogan government's negative impact on our societies, which are multi-religious and multi-ethnic," Assad added. For its part, the Turkish delegation, headed by Hassan Akgul, stressed "the Turkish people's refusal to interfere in Syrian affairs, and a commitment to good neighborly relations." The visitors also warned of the risks of the Syrian crisis's impact on Turkey and other countries in the region. Damascus, meanwhile, called on the international community on Thursday in letters to the United Nations to condemn Ankara's role in the Syrian conflict, which has left some 70,000 people dead, according to UN statistics. "Syria hopes that the international community... will fulfill its responsibilities clearly and sincerely, and denounce the role of the Turkish government and other states that fund the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups, while bearing them responsible for what is happening in Syria," the letters said. President al-Assad met on January 2012 a delegation from the Turkish Felicity Party headed by its leader Mustafa Kamalak, who conveyed to President al-Assad the support of the Turkish people for the Syrians and their utter rejection of foreign interference in the Syrian internal affairs. Assad's government has repeatedly blamed the violence in Syria on a foreign-backed plot, and has frequently accused Turkey of channeling funds and weapons to the armed opposition.

Source: Agencies   River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!   07-03-2013 - 18:54 Last updated 07-03-2013 - 18:54