Turkish FM meets with members of Syrian National Council

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday met with the members of the Executive Board of the Syrian National Council (SNC) in Ankara two days after a deadly blast which killed 14 people at the Cilvegozu Border Gate in the southern province of Hatay and was believed to be targeting the top figures of the Syrian opposition who were traveling near the site of the explosion when the blast took place. While more details of the blast have surfaced, senior SNC members said they were the target of the attack. The meeting between Davutoglu and the SNC delegation took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara. The SNC members offered their condolences to Davutoglu over the casualties in Monday's deadly blast. The ongoing Syrian conflict and its widening regional implications were the main topic addressed at the meeting, while Syrian opposition figures thanked Turkey for its ceaseless backing of their cause and its humanitarian aid to the Syrian people. The Turkish foreign minister and the delegation reviewed the recent situation on the ground and the latest developments in the international arena during the brief meeting. The SNC members shared with Davutoglu observations from their journey inside northern Syria as they had the opportunity to visit a number of refugee camps and battered cities. One senior SNC official said the northern town of Azaz, within the borders of the Aleppo governorate, faced heavy bombardment and many parts of the city were destroyed. However, the official noted, the morale of the people remains very high. A recent call made by the Syrian opposition's top leader, Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib, to hold talks with Damascus to pave the way for a peaceful political transition as part of efforts to end the two-year-old bloody dispute was also discussed by the sides at the meeting. In proposing the unprecedented initiative, al-Khatib at first drew ire and harsh criticism from the Syrian opposition, which adamantly opposes any kind of contact with the Syrian regime for a political settlement, but secured the backing of major international actors, including the US and regional countries such as Egypt and Qatar, both supporters of the opposition during the two-year-old uprising. Davutoglu, speaking at the end of the meeting, said Turkey will stand in solidarity with and keep its commitment to the Syrian people.