To be a fly on that wall…

Yesterday (8/9/2011) the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Davutoglu went into the meeting telling the press that he had come to deliver a “strong message” to Assad – expressing that Turkey had “lost its patience” with the massacres in Syria. After nearly seven hours of meetings with Assad, Davutoglu was singing a very different tune. Citing close cultural connections, Davutoglu stated that the future of Turkey was “related” to that of Syria and that all contacts between the two countries would continue. Even more problematically, he stated that he was confident that in the coming weeks, peace would return to Syria and that Assad was capable of reforms that would satisfy the protestor’s demands. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that meeting to hear what could have changed Davutoglu’s mind so drastically. 

It must have been the meeting, because nothing on the ground reflects any change in Assad’s stance. New assaults are starting right now. In the south, near the Iraqi border, near the Turkish border, tanks are shelling homes and businesses and soldiers are opening fire on innocent civilians. The death toll is believed to be around 2,000 and climbing.

The State Department had announced that the United States would be working with Turkey to pressure Assad into ending the killings. It appears from Davutoglu’s statements that that effort is not progressing enough. Yesterday we also heard that the Obama Administration is considering calling for Assad to step down formally and toughening the sanctions. However, without the support of Turkey, a tougher stance from the United States will have limited effect. A multilateral approach is necessary in Syria. Given that any sort of military option is out of the question, diplomatic action must be strong. Turkey holds huge importance in Syria. Trade has increased drastically in the past couple of years and ties among people living in the border area are strong. The killing in Syria must stop and Assad is no closer to stopping them. International pressure must be applied and it must include a strong stance from Turkey. Here’s to hoping the Foreign Minister changes his mind again.