Syria’s al-Assad is a terrorist, impossible to continue with him: Erdoğan

TUNIS

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a terrorist and continuing with him in Syrian peace efforts is impossible, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Dec. 27.

“Al-Assad is definitely a terrorist who has carried out state terrorism,” Erdoğan said at a televised news conference with his Tunisian counterpart Beji Caid Essebsi in Tunisia’s capital Tunis.

“It is impossible to continue with al-Assad. How can we embrace the future with a Syrian president who has killed almost a million of his citizens?” he said.

His remarks at the joint news conference in Tunis came after a closed-door meeting with Essebsi.

“Would the people of Syria want to see such a person as leader? Because I am saying this absolutely clearly and openly that al-Assad is actually a terrorist involved in state terrorism,” Erdoğan added.

Erdoğan asserted that peace will not come to Syria with al-Assad as its president.

He also spoke about the U.S. administration’s recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city.

“East Quds [Jerusalem] is the capital for us. We are backing this and the Islamic world is also supporting it,” the Turkish president said.

He also asserted determination in efforts to make the entire world recognize the state of Palestine.

The U.N.’s 193-member General Assembly recently adopted a resolution on Jerusalem by an overwhelming majority, calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel’s capital.

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the resolution, while nine countries voted against it and 35 others abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.