Pressuring Assad

Damascus faced a new level of international pressure on Tuesday as longtime ally Turkey sent Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu to Damascus with the message that Ankara "has run out of patience."

Davutoglu meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to press for an immediate end to the violent crackdown on protesters in one of the bloodiest of the recent upheavals sweeping the Arab world.

But Assad remained defiant, reportedly telling Davutoglu that Damascus would "not waiver in our pursuit" of what he called "terrorist groups," according to state news agency SANA.

War of words

The visit came on the heels of Syria's Arab neighbors Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia withdrawing their ambassadors earlier this week, marking a new level of pressure on Assad.

Prior to the meeting, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to "a strong message" to Assad. "And our next steps will depend on what kind of answer we'll get to that message."

Turkey's decision to finally talk tough marks a significant turnaround - Ankara and Damascus have long been considered close friends and allies.

Trade between the countries has over the last decade grown by a staggering 900 percent. Visa and travel restrictions have been lifted and Turkish investments in Syria in 2011 stand at almost 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion).

When the Syrian regime decided to meet protests with tanks in March, Turkey was initially hesitant to criticize Damascus, hoping rather to exert indirect diplomatic pressure than outright condemnation.

Fresh clashes

But with the mounting death toll, Ankara can no longer afford to be the only country other than Iran to still side with Syria.

"There can be no violence against the Syrian people," Davutoglu said, summing up Ankara's message ahead of his trip.

"The legitimate demands of the people have to be taken into account, reforms have to be implemented without delay."

According to rights groups, more than 2,000 people have been killed since protests calling for democratic reform and an end to Assad's 11-year rule began earlier this year.

On Tuesday, fresh clashes were reported in a town in the northwest of Syria, with activists claiming at least four people dead. Near the border with Turkey, tanks and armored vehicles stormed the cities of Bench and Sarmein. Violence was also reported from the eastern oil-rich city of Deir ez-Zor as well as the central town of Hama which for weeks has been a protester stronghold.

With Damascus unwilling to listen to Ankara's advice, Turkey will most likely be forced to follow the example set by Syria's other neighbors and recall its ambassador. President Assad will then have lost all allies except for Iran.

Author: Andreas Illmer (AFP, Reuters, dpa)
Editor: Martin Kuebler