Israel Matzav

This is rich: Syria advises Erdogan to stop violent repression of protests or resign

Erdogan, a former ally of Bashar Assad, turned against him after the Syrian president sought to crush largely peaceful protests which broke out in March 2011 and have since descended into a brutal civil war that has left at least 80,000 dead.

Syrian state television broadcast hours of live footage from Istanbul, where thousands of protesters clashed for a second day with riot police who fired teargas and water cannons.

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"The demands of the Turkish people don't deserve all this violence," Syrian television quoted Information Minister Omran Zoabi as saying. "If Erdogan is unable to pursue non-violent means, he should resign."

"Erdogan's repression of peaceful protest ... shows how detached he is from reality."

The Turkish prime minister turned against Assad after he said the Syrian leader had rejected Ankara's advice for political reform in response to protests which erupted in Syria two years ago, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world.

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Syria, Syrian uprising, Turkey

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:20 AM