Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on the international community to take more decisive steps after the unification of the Syrian opposition in Doha on Sunday, Todays Zaman reported.
Speaking at a panel discussion as part of the 9th Italian-Turkish Forum organized by the Center for Strategic Research (SAM) of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Italy's Unicredit in Rome on Monday, Davutoglu called the meeting in Doha an effort to "bring the different representatives of the Syrian society together" as he urged the "international community to support this entity that now better represents the Syrian people."
Participating in a panel discussion along with his Italian counterpart, Giulo Terzi, Minister Davutoglu announced that the Friends of Syria group will be convening at the beginning of December as he said that the international community has no more excuses not to act in Syria while stating that "we are all going through a test" in which the Syrian regime is committing a "crime against humanity" by bombing civilians in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpınar.
Referring to the meeting in Doha, Davutoğlu said that the "nature of the opposition has become more diversified and the Syrian National Council [SNC] has restructured itself," reminding the audience that George Sabra, a Christian, had become the head of the SNC and that a "broader coalition was formed with the inclusion of local opposition representatives."
Davutoglu emphasized that despite problems in Syria, "what is happening in Syria is not an ethnic or sectarian struggle but tension between the demands of the people and an oppressive regime."
In terms of the refugees in Turkey, Davutoglu said, "It is not fair to expect Turkey to carry the entire burden, although we can shoulder this burden as [we have done] in the past," referring to the 500,000 Kurdish refugees who migrated to Turkey during the first Gulf War. "As of now, 2,000 more refugees are waiting at the Turkish border," Davutoglu added, also stating that
Turkey has so far spent more than $400 million on refuges in Turkey to provide them with services, including education for children. Davutoglu's Italian counterpart, Terzi, on the other hand, stated that they had "worked together with Turkey in the Doha process and that Turkey is managing a complex crisis well" as he supported Turkey's accession process to the EU.