Ankara urges Assad toremove brother from command, enact reforms

Turkey has sent a message to Syrian President Bashar Assad urging him to remove his brother, largely believed to be behind the four-month violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters, from an army command, news channel Al-Arabiya reported over the weekend. According to the report, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Assad to remove his brother from command of the Fourth Armored Division, saying that Maher Assad could either come to Turkey or go to another country in Europe. Assad was also reportedly urged to grant Syrians freedom to demonstrate, freedom of expression, and to lift the ban on political parties, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. Turkish officials did not confirm the report, saying that Assad's Special Envoy Hasan Turkmani already held talks in Ankara last week with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.