By SEBNEM ARSU
Published: November 22, 2011
ISTANBUL — In his most blatant criticism yet of Syria’s political repression, the prime minister of Turkey said for the first time on Tuesday that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria should resign, raising the pressure on Mr. Assad from a country that Syria had once counted as its friendliest neighbor and economic partner.
Adem Altan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
The criticism by the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of Mr. Assad was not totally unexpected, given Mr. Erdogan’s increasing exasperation with Mr. Assad’s intransigence over the political uprising against him, now in its eighth month. But Mr. Erdogan’s comments were notable for his explicit language. He likened Mr. Assad to the self-delusional dictators of history who met violent ends, most recently Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya.
“Just remove yourself from that seat before shedding more blood, before torturing more and for the welfare of your country, as well as the region,” Mr. Erdogan said of Mr. Assad in a televised statement at his party meeting in Ankara, the capital.
“It is not heroism to fight against your own people,” Mr. Erdogan said. “If you want to see someone who has fought against his own people, look at Nazi Germany, Hitler, Mussolini, Ceausescu of Romania. If you do not learn your lesson from them, look at the Libyan leader, who pointed his gun against his own people and, only 32 days ago, got killed in a way that none of us desired, after using the same phrases that you use.”
Mr. Erdogan’s criticism of the Syrian government came as Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul, began a three-day visit to Britain, which also has been outspoken in seeking to isolate Mr. Assad.
In another development, the human rights committee of the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Tuesday condemning Syria for its crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, Reuters reported. The resolution, drafted by Britain, France and Germany, was supported by 122 nations, including 13 Arab states and Turkey.
Mr. Erdogan said Turkey had no interest in meddling in Syria, but “while a nation — especially one that is our kin and relative — is being tormented, we have absolutely no intention to turn a blind eye, to turn our backs against Syria with a 910-kilometers-long borderline.”
Turkey’s longest border is with Syria, to the south, where residents on both sides are often members of larger families, sharing a common culture and language.
Turkey’s anger at Mr. Assad’s government and support for the Syrian opposition has prompted violent reactions in Syria. This month, pro-Assad demonstrators in Syria attacked Turkish diplomatic missions in Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia, burning Turkish flags and shattering windows.
On Monday, unidentified gunmen in Syria, described by some witnesses as wearing the uniforms of Syrian soldiers, attacked a convoy of buses carrying Turkish pilgrims home from Mecca, and two of the pilgrims were wounded.
They were the first Turkish civilian victims of the mayhem in Syria.
Mr. Erdogan had declined to comment on the shooting on Monday, pending an investigation. But on Tuesday he expressed anger, calling on Syrian authorities to arrest the assailants. “It’s a country’s pride and honor to protect foreign citizens, guests in the country, moreover pilgrim passengers only in transit,” the prime minister said.
A version of this article appeared in print on November 23, 2011, on page A13 of the New York edition with the headline: Turkish Premier Urges Assad to Quit in Syria.
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