In runup to FM's visit Syria hits back at Turkish rebuke

In a harsh response to Turkey's decision to send Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Syria to convey "a decisive message" from Ankara, Syrian Presidential Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban lashed out, saying Syria is ready to deliver an "even more decisive one," signaling Damascus' refusal to carry out reforms despite Turkey's warnings that the country is "at the end of its patience." "If Davutoglu is to deliver a decisive message to Syria, he will hear a more decisive reply regarding the Turkish stance, which failed to condemn the brutal killing and crimes committed by the armed terrorist groups against the civilians, military and police members until now," Syrian state-run Sana news agency quoted Shaaban as saying yesterday. Davutoglu's visit was announced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday at an iftar event in Istanbul, signaling the end of Ankara's patience with Damascus' refusal to initiate democratic reforms.