Turkey asks UN to take tougher measures to Syria

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has pleaded for the UN Security Council to come up with a new strategy "to prevent further the aggravation of the Syrian humanitarian tragedy" after the recent dissolution of a UN mission sent to observe international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan in Syria. General Robert Mood, head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), announced on Saturday that the mission had suspended its activities due to an escalation of armed violence between Syrian opposition and regime forces that had impeded the ability of the observers to carry out their mandate. During a press conference in Istanbul following an international foreign ministerial meeting within the scope of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI), Davutoglu commented on the callback of the UN observer mission. He said: "The UN Security Council needs to take new measures to prevent the further aggravation of the Syrian humanitarian tragedy. If this does not happen, we have great concern there will be a sudden influx of refugees to Turkey for humanitarian reasons." Meanwhile, there has been no official statement offered by the UN since its withdrawal of its 300-person observer mission as to whether or not the Annan plan is still formally in effect in Syria. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted in televised remarks last month that there is no "plan B" should the Annan plan fail, although he did acknowledge the plan is not a complete solution in and of itself to stop the 15-month strife in Syria. The six-point Annan plan, which envisaged a full truce between opposition and army forces by April 12, was the only international initiative agreed to by all members of the UN Security Council, as proposed resolutions that called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down were vetoed by Russia and China. On Saturday, Washington made an official statement that the US is consulting its international allies as to the next steps to be taken regarding the Syrian crisis following the suspension of UN observer operations. "At this critical juncture, we are consulting with our international partners regarding next steps toward a Syrian-led political transition as called for in Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said without elaborating. Davutoglu also pointed out that the number of Syrian refugees worldwide reached 30,900 on Saturday. There was a 30 percent increase in the number of Syrians who fled to Turkey last month to reach a total of refugees at that time of around 24,000. Turkish agencies reported that 126 Syrians from the restive northern province of Latakia entered Turkey on Saturday at Hatay province's Yayladagi district and were sent to refugee camps in Sanliurfa. Additionally, a Syrian army general defected to Turkey on Saturday and arrived in Hatay. He was later sent to a military camp in the province's Apaydin district with his family, including seven children. On Saturday, increasing conflicts between the Syrian opposition and regime forces near the Turkish border resulted in a forest fire over a four-hectare area near Hatay's Yayladagi district. The fire was started by tracer shells that ricocheted to the Belengoz village. The fire was contained in the evening hours thanks to the efforts of the Hatay Provincial Directorate of Environment and Forestry. Speculation arose last week among Turkish sources close to Free Syrian Army (FSA) members operating in the border provinces of Idlib that the recent increase in the number of Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey is part of preparations for a large-scale war concentrated in Syria's northern provinces. Many FSA members have sent their families and relatives to Idlib and Aleppo to clear the region of civilians in case full-fledged war breaks out, Today's Zaman learned from local sources last week.