Turkish foreign minister slams Syrian regime, Israel

CAIRO – Doğan News Agency

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu gestures before a session at the the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Cairo. AA Photo

It is time for the Syrian regime to change, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said while hitting hard at Israel’s Palestine policies in his speech at a session at the Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Cairo on Feb. 4.

“The merciless dictatorship in Syria should go as quickly as possible and leave its place to a democratic transition. This is the only way to stop the ongoing violence and bring stability and confidence to the region,” the minister said.

“Our doors will always be open to our Syrian brothers. We are experiencing a large conscience test in the face of the crisis in Syria. The number of people who have died in Syria has reached 5,000 a month. In total 60,000 people have lost their lives. Some 4 million Syrians are waiting for help in the country.”

Davutoğlu also criticized Israel’s settlement policy. “Israel should put an end to its expansionist policy and accept the revival of the peace process,” he said. “A Palestinian state, the capital of which will be Jerusalem until the end of time, [should be formed] and Israel should withdraw back to its pre-1967 borders.”
After the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Jordan, Israel had widened its territories.

The minister called the new Israeli settlements illegal, noting a United Nations Human Rights Commission decision on the subject.