Mansour Advocates Dialogue as Only Solution to Syrian Crisis
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour has said the Syrian war has "negative ramifications" for the region but advocated dialogue as the only solution to the crisis.
"There should not be any external military or any other kind of intervention," said Mansour at a one-day summit in Istanbul on Saturday.
Mansour, who is current chairman of the Arab League, said the meeting of a dozen foreign ministers as well as other delegates, titled the Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum, was a positive sign for a region traditionally plagued by a lack of political unity. Turkey launched the annual meeting in 2007.
"This was important in the aftermath of the 1990s, when we did not have a lot of activity," Mansour said.
The Lebanese foreign minister's views contrasted with Turkey's calls at the United Nations for an internationally protected "buffer zone" inside Syria that would protect civilians. Such a zone would likely require military action to secure it, including a no-fly zone.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey said the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad had lost its legitimacy after 20 months of conflict that started with peaceful protests against the regime and evolved into a civil war after pro-Assad forces cracked down.
"It has turned into an armed militia power that resorts to all kinds of brutal methods just to stay in power," Davutoglu said.
"The Syrian regime, which is a serious threat to the future of its own people and country, with each passing day increases the threat it poses to the well-being of our region, through its actions that target peace and security beyond its borders," he added.
Source: Associated Press, Naharnet
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