Turkey suspends dialogue with Syria- sources

Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat- Turkish diplomatic sources have told Asharq Al-Awsat that Ankara has suspended all forms of dialogue with Damascus, while it  waits for the Syrian regime to fulfill promises made to Turkish officials, including Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. An official Turkish source said that his country “is losing hope from the regime. The situation is now in the hands of the Syrian people who should decide their future alone”.

Meanwhile, speculation is growing in Turkish political circles that it may have reached the point of no return in its relations with the Syrian regime. Such speculation is rife after Turkey’s initiatives toward the Syrian regime reached “promises without results”, according to Turkish officials.

Turkish political analyst Ilham Tenir says that Turkey cannot ask Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave because “it would then be embroiling itself in a situation that would make it unable to talk to the regime”. Tenir adds that if the Syrian regime does not respond, Turkey may lose its “diplomatic intervention” card and Ankara does not seem prepared to do that, particularly since it is not happy with the situation of the Syrian opposition and it has “certain observations” about the growing internal agitation in Syria. The Syrian opposition is not united and is still unable to provide a convincing alternative to the regime. Tenir added that Turkey has indeed passed the point of no return in its relationship with the Syrian regime. It has realized that it cannot continue to tell the regime “stop the killing” because it may retort “mind your own business”. Tenir points out that “There is no alternative. The Syrian opposition should work to fill the streets with people that would lead to more international support and more rifts within the regime”. Ersat Hurmuzlu, the Turkish president’s senior adviser, asserts: “The people, regime, and opposition in Syria should understand that Ankara does not have any hidden agendas on Syria. My country supports the Syrian people in all its demands. Some statements being made by Syrian or non-Syrian observers of Syrian affairs do not reflect Turkey’s true position”. Hormuzlu goes on to say: “I wish the Syrian nationalist forces (the opposition) would unify its ranks and stand firm before the world and before Syrian public opinion. The future is up to the Syrian people. They should unite their national forces because the current situation of the opposition harms it and benefits the regime”. The source said that the situation in Syria is “critical and dangerous. There are many scenarios and we are taking into account the best and worst scenarios”.

A Turkish foreign ministry official told Asharq Al-Awsat that Turkey “is very concerned about the developments in Syria”. The official who declined to be identified called on the Syrian authorities “to deal with the popular protests softly and to stop the bloodshed”. He urged the Syrian authorities “to carry out the reforms they had promised. These reforms are for their own people and not for any other country. We waited for what they had promised after they told us that the reforms would take place within a few days. However, these reforms were not made or were made too late. There will be no dialogue with the Syrian authorities unless they carry out their promises within an acceptable and reasonable period”. When asked about the timeframe that Turkey considers appropriate for the reforms to be carried out, the source said: “Yesterday and even long before yesterday. However, it is always better late than never”. On alternatives if the Syrian regime “hastens its oppression and is slow in bringing reforms,” he said: “I believe that the international community will proceed wit h its steps that may take us to a situation that none of us wants”. In the same context, another official Turkish source said: “There is no point in continuing the dialogue. The time for words is over; it is now the time for actions”.