Davutoglu: "Turkey is at regional crossroads"

Turkey doesn't want a bifurcated structure in Lebanon, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday, commenting on the political crisis there. "Our priority is to avoid the escalation of the government crisis," he explained. "In all contacts, Turkey is at the center. So regional countries have expectations of Turkey. They think that if Turkey intervenes, a solution can be reached." Davutoglu also said Ankara doesn't want Prime Minister Saad Hariri excluded from the process, because he has supporters in Lebanon. "At France's initiation, an international meeting is in the offing," he added. "It is very important that Syria also attends this meeting. The parties that are going to attend support the Hariri government. (But) if Syria doesn't attend, then the international community will be divided. We want all the parties to attend the meeting and negotiations to proceed on a Saudi Arabia-Syria agreement." Asked about Israel's role in the regional equation, Davutoglu said, "Israel is now excluded from regional equations. They think that if there a crisis breaks out in Lebanon, then the crisis Israel has created is going to be forgotten. But we don't forget. Silent diplomacy continues with Israel, but our expectations must be met."