Turkey’s Erdogan ups rhetoric, says Assad must ‘urgently engage' with rebels
Erdogan is urging the Syrian government to urgently launch a dialogue with rebels in a bid to end the civil war after insurgents captured Hama.
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday amped up his rhetoric on Syria a notch after Islamist-led insurgents captured the city of Hama — which is a mere 185 kilometers (115 miles) north of the capital, Damascus — saying the Syrian government must "urgently engage" in a dialogue with the rebels.
Erdogan conveyed the message during a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which took place late Thursday after the Syrian Defense Ministry announced military forces had withdrawn from Hama in the face of a lightning offensive by Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its Turkish-backed allies.
“The Syrian regime must urgently engage with its people in a comprehensive political solution,” Erdogan told Guterres during the conversation, according to a Turkish readout of the call.
“He also noted that Turkey is making efforts to de-escalate tensions, protect civilians, and pave the way for the political process, and will continue its efforts,” said the readout.
