Davutoglu: Turkey would join coalition against Syria

Turkey would join any international coalition against Syria, even if a wider consensus on action cannot be reached at the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted as saying in an interview to Italian daily La Republica while in Italy as part of his two-day official visit to Europe. "Assad has crossed many red lines to this day. He started by recruiting snipers to shoot at civilians, fired artillery, and then sent airstrikes and launched missiles on his people. We want UN officials to be fully authorized to investigate. If Assad does not allow this, it will be a test of accountability for him. Then, it will be the international community that will be responsible for stopping him." he said. In another interview to the Turkish daily Milliyet on the same subject, Davutoglu said that Turkey prioritized acting together with the international community and the UN Security Council decisions, adding that other alternatives would come to the agenda, if such a decision did not emerge from the UN Security Council. "Currently 36-37 countries are discussing these alternatives. If a coalition is formed against Syria in this process, Turkey would take its place in this coalition." Davutoglu added.