EU: "We hope Syria's Assad will listen to Davutoglu"

The European Union yesterday praised Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's visit to Damascus and urging Syria to halt its violent crackdown. "We hope the Assad administration will listen to what Davutoglu says," said Michael Mann, the spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. "We also hope that the suggestions made by Davutoglu in Damascus will be understood and implemented by (Syrian President Bahsar) Assad." Mann also cited recent statements by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that the international community's patience with Assad is at an end. "There's no disagreement between the EU and Turkey about the Syria issue," Mann added. "Violence against people carrying out peaceful protests is unacceptable. The violence against the Syrian people by the Assad administration is shocking." The German Foreign Ministry also praised Turkey's effort to halt the violent crackdown in Syria.