Asia

Home page

Asia

Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Kofi Annanâ€™s plan is the last chance for the Syrian government

02 April 2012 08:36 (UTC +04:00)

He said approximately 20 000 citizens of Syria fled and found shelter in Turkey.

â€œIt has already become inevitable for the international community to respond to the bloodshed in Syria. First of all, humanitarian aid must be offered systematically to the Syrian people. Of course, we want the initiative of the UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan to be a success. But both we and the international organizations suppose that the Syrian authorities will take advantage of Kofi Annanâ€™s initiative to gain time. If the UN Security Council once more deviates from its historical mission, the international community will have no other alternative but to support the Syrian peopleâ€™s right to legal defense. We reject any attempts to seek interests in the region, are seeking ways to save peopleâ€™s lives. We can not confirm any plan that will help the Syrian regime, which is torturing the people, to be in power,â€ he said.

Prime Minister Erdogan said they recognize the Syrian National Council as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people and underlined that the National Consensus Charter publicized by the Council and also supported by the opposition forces is the major document.

Erdogan said the new authorities of Syria will be formed by Syrians in a democratic way.

â€œTurkey will continue to support friendly Syrian people. We do not doubt that the other members of the â€œFriends of Syriaâ€ group will also act decisively. The promise given to esteemed Annan in Syria has not been fulfilled yet. We want the demands of the Syrians to be fulfilled immediately. No one should doubt that those who killed innocent people will be punished,â€ he said.