Damascus’ fall matter of time, says Davutoğlu

HELSINKI / THE HAGUE

The Syrian regime is losing legitimacy, says Turkey’s Davutoğlu says. AA photo

The fall of Syria’s government is “only a matter of time,” Turkey’s foreign minister said yesterday, calling on other countries to help make the prospective transition period as brief as possible.

“It is clear that if a regime loses legitimacy and fights against its own people, that regime will lose that fight,” Ahmet Davutoğlu said at a press conference after meeting with his Finnish counterpart, Erkki Tuomioja, in Helsinki, Agence France-Presse reported.

“As to timing: now we can be surer than before... it is only a matter of time. But it is up to the international community how to make the transition as fast as possible... in order to prevent further disasters,” he said.

Davutoğlu said he was not in favor of international military intervention in the Syrian conflict, echoing the views of Tuomioja, who said he did not think such a move was “on the table at all.”

Meanwhile, the Netherlands may send Patriot air-defense missile batteries to Turkey earlier than expected and install them after the new year, the Dutch foreign and defense ministers said in a joint letter they sent to the lower house of the Dutch Parliament.

The Dutch Patriot batteries were originally expected to arrive in Turkey at the end of January, Anatolia news agency reported.

They are set to be deployed in response to Turkey’s request from NATO to help the country boost its air defense capabilities against a possible missile threat from Syria.

The early missile deployment reports came after Damascus fired Scud missiles last week against rebel forces.

Two Dutch missile systems, along with at most 360 soldiers, are expected to be deployed in the southern Turkish province of Adana.

The United States and Germany each have pledged to send two Patriot batteries as part of the NATO deployment.