Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey was not the enemy of Syria and its people.
We do not accept what Bashar al-Assad is doing because it against humanity and Islam, added Erdogan who spoke to Al Jazeera TV.
Turkey is seriously concerned with the situation in Syria, said Erdogan, adding that the number of Syrian citizens, who escaped from their country and crossed in Turkey, exceeded 25,000. This is negatively affecting the whole region, especially Turkey which has 910 kilometers of border line with Syria, said Erdogan, adding that not only regional countries but also the UN, Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation had to be involved in this matter. Noting that Turkey would never close its doors to Syrians, Erdogan said that Turkey would never be distant to opposition forces in Syria. Erdogan said that Turkey had been supporting Annan Plan from the very beginning, and also expecting the promises to be kept within that scope. UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan presented a peace plan last month. The six-point peace plan includes demands for a ceasefire, the immediate withdrawal of heavy armor from residential areas and access for humanitarian aid. The plan was presented to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on March 10 and accepted by him on March 27. The ceasefire came into effect on April 12, but although the overall level of violence has dropped since then, al-Assad's government has been accused of failing to abide by key terms of the truce plan, including pulling all forces from urban areas and allowing peaceful demonstrations. The UN currently has 11 unarmed observers under its Supervision Mission to Syria (UNSMIS). The UN passed a resolution on April 14 for a total of 30 observers, then another resolution to increase the number to 300. The UN says about 9,000 people have died in Syria since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. Expressing pleasure over UN's sending observers to Syria, Erdogan said that an effective observation was a must in Syria. I hope UN observers will take some results in Syria soon, he said. Erdogan said that if Annan Plan failed, UN Security Council would be undertaking an important mission. In case of a border violation by Syria, Turkey, as a NATO member state, takes the necessary step, said Erdogan, adding that if Turkey took such a step as a NATO country, the 5th article took effect. He expressed hope that the situation would not reach that stage. Erdogan noted that a solution under the leadership of the UN should be found to Syria issue.
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