Erdogan rebukes Syria over attack on Turkish flag

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rebuked Syrian government for attacks on its diplomatic missions in Syria and urged President Bashar al-Assad's regime to find and punish the perpetrators of an attack on the Turkish flag in Latakia and vowing that such assaults will receive the proper "response." Erdogan reminded the assaults in Syria and addressing the Syrian President by his first name: "Bashar, you must find those who attacked the Turkish flag and punish them." "I want to make this clear to the Assad regime: Throughout history, those who have tried to touch the Turkish flag were given their response. They will receive a response in the future as well," Erdogan said yesterday, during a parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party). "Once again, we strongly condemn these attacks. We want the Syrian regime not only to apologize, but also to find the culprits." "Nobody now expects the (Syrian) people's demands to be met. We all want the Syrian administration, which is now on a knife-edge, to turn back from the edge of the cliff," Erdogan also said. President Abdullah Gul also condemned attacks on Turkish diplomatic missions on Tuesday, calling it "unacceptable" and warning the Syrian regime against unspecified measures if it happens again. "If Syrian authorities do not take the necessary measures, if these attacks are repeated, then our reaction will certainly be a different one," Gul said.