Turkish PM holds Syria summit with top officials, including chief of staff, intelligence chief and FM

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also met President Abdullah Gül ahead of the Aug. 29 Syria summit. AA photo

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a closed-doors meeting focusing on Syria with top officials on Aug. 29.

Chief of General Staff Necdet Özel, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Interior Minister Muammer Güler, Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz and Intelligence Chief Hakan Fidan were among those present at the meeting, which lasted three hours, Anadolu Agency reported.

Özel, Fidan and Erdoğan had also held their separate weekly meetings with President Abdullah Gül at the presidential palace earlier in the day.

The meeting came as the United States, Britain and France take steps for military action against Syria.

The Turkish military has also issued an alert warning about a possible chemical attacks from Syria.

A U.N. chemical inspection team is continuing its critical investigation into a reported chemical attack on the outskirts of Damascus, which could be the turning point in the two-and-a-half-year conflict. It is expected to complete its report on Aug. 31.