Davutoğlu urges Iran, Russia to take action against chemical attacks

TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, in reference to Syria, where violence has escalated with the use of chemical weapons last week, has called on Russia and Iran, the two staunchest supporters of the Syrian regime, to stand against the chemical attacks.

In a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart, Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah, and Syrian National Coalition (SNC) leader Ahmad Jarba in İstanbul's �ırağan Palace on Saturday, Davutoğlu said the main issue of the meeting was the developments in Syria and called on the international community to take immediate action for a UN chemical inspection team to reach the area before the spoliation of evidence.

The Turkish foreign minister said he had made many phone calls to foreign politicians, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to express Turkey's main demands that a UN team head to the area where the chemical attack took place before the evidence is concealed and that the team examine the site and victims.

�Our main demand and expectation from the international community is its support for a UN team to go to the area [eastern and western Ghouta in Damascus], gain access to the evidence before it is compromised, make the necessary examinations and supply medical aid immediately. The truth behind the chemical attacks should be revealed,� he said.

Stating that Syria has remained silent in the face of the UN's demand to enter the affected areas up until now, Davutoğlu said that despite Russia's call, Syria's insistence in not allowing a team to go to the mentioned areas shows that Syria is hiding something.

�This issue shouldn't be glossed over with condemnations. The Syrian opposition has given an open invitation for an investigation. If Syria continues to insist on not allowing the team to search the area, the UN Security Council [UNSC] should make a decision regarding the crime of spoliation of evidence,� he maintained amid uncertainty over whether the opposition or the Syrian government had deployed the chemical weapons, adding, �If the Syrian government allows the team to enter the area and a crime is detected, the offenders should be punished severely.�

Reiterating his disappointment with the international community on the developments in Syria, Davutoğlu noted that Turkey is always with the Syrian nation, sees Syrians' pain as its own and will make every effort to eradicate this pain without looking at Syrians' ethnic or religious identities.

Davutoğlu emphasized on Turkey not paying any regard to religion or ethnicity in his statement in a bid to dispel speculations that Ankara is supporting the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front fighters to ensure that Kurds will not take control of Syria's northern border.

Restating that Turkey will continue to step up pressure on the international community and express its demands for protecting Syrians, Davutoğlu said humanity will not have a clear conscience unless those responsible for the attack are revealed and reiterated his calls to Russia and Iran to take a stand against the chemical attacks in Syria.

�We also want Iran and Russia to take a principled stance [against the chemical attack in Syria]. We may have some differences of opinion on the Syria issue, we may have different political views. However, on the issue of chemical weapons, everyone should stand on the same page. This is a crime against humanity and we should take a common stand against this,� Davutoğlu noted, stating that if a common stand on the chemical attack isn't taken, more serious crimes will be committed in Syria and other countries.

Stating that if UNSC members find common ground, there will be no need to think about other alternatives to taking action, Davutoğlu blamed the international community for its silence and said: �If a common decision had been taken in the past, these children and women would have been alive. The UNSC should be able to take this decision.�
Turkey, Qatar see eye to eye on regional issues

Davutoğlu also mentioned Turkish-Qatari ties, stating that economic, cultural and diplomatic relations between the two have become a model recently and that the two countries share opinions on the phone about the developments in the region before taking action.

�One of the aims of Attiyah's Cairo visit was also to share our ideas. Because he didn't get the opportunity to meet with Mohammed Morsi, he returned. We also share our ideas after our visit to European countries. So there aren't any problems of a difference in opinion between Turkey and Qatar,� he said.

The two foreign ministers affirmed that they had discussed the developments in Egypt and both countries stand on the same page on Egypt and want the stabilization of Egypt. The Turkish foreign minister stated that Ankara supports the attempts of the Gulf country on Egypt and expressed his pleasure on Qatar's role in defusing tension before and after the July 3 coup. The Qatari foreign minister also stated that Qatar appreciated Turkey's support of the Arab Spring.