Davutoğlu: Assad following path Gaddafi once walked

“Our prime minister [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] was telling Gaddafi the same things he is telling Assad today; but I am afraid Syria is moving toward a similar period [as Libya],” Davutoğlu told the Star daily in an interview the paper published on Wednesday. Noting that Turkey had informed Gaddafi of what could and would eventually happen after he lost his grip over protests in Libya, Davutoğlu expressed his sorrow over the brutal killing of Gaddafi by his own people, as he dubbed what he saw in the footage of his death as “scenes that hurt our conscience.”

According to Davutoğlu, Turkey has tried hard to prevent a clash similar to what happened in Libya over the last few months from being repeated in Syria, but the calls have gone unanswered. “He [Erdoğan] told Assad to hold elections, and let the Syrian nation decide on the future of the country, but Assad does not listen, just like Gaddafi did not,” Davutoğlu was quoted as saying by Star.

The remarks from the foreign minister were the most recent from Turkey on Syria after a long break of contact with that country, as Turkish officials in the past repeatedly called on Assad to backpedal and go for democratic reforms and elections, but sharply cut down on efforts when Assad made clear he would not heed advice from other countries. “The process does not play out well for leaders who do not receive their power from their nation; once they lose political power, it is either jail or a grave that they end up in,” Davutoğlu commented in harsh words that noted how critical Turkey perceived the condition of leaders of the Arab Spring who resist change and the will of their people.

“We clearly see Assad is no more capable of orchestrating the process [of democratization],” Davutoğlu was quoted as saying by the Bugün daily on Wednesday, as he repeated his take on the Syrian issue as a struggle already lost by Assad, who “refused to lend an ear to what Turkey had to say and walked away from his promises every time.”

Offering an explanation to Turkey's approach to the Arab Spring leaders, particularly to Assad, Davutoğlu suggested that it is “elections that serve the will of the people,” that a leader could remain in power or had to step down, make way for change but in return still remain a person liked by his people, even after he is replaced by the outcome of the vote.

Although Turkey -- once a strategic ally of Syria despite an up-and-down relationship for decades -- initially refrained from asking Assad to step down, violent crackdowns against democratic protesters all around the country persuaded Turkish officials that reforms demanded by the Syrian people would not be met by the Assad regime, and the country halted efforts to engage with the Syrian regime. Turkey was once on the verge of war with Syria as the Syrian regime allegedly sheltered Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), but tension eased when Syria expelled Öcalan in the late 1990s, leading to his capture by Turkey in 1999. Davutoğlu ruled out fears that Syria may go back to its policy of mobilizing PKK forces to terrorize Turkey in the face of the fallen alliance between the two countries, telling the Yeni Şafak daily that “Syria should not even think about doing that, based on previous experience.” “Everyone knows where that road leads.”

“Turkey has had no contact with Syria since the latest visits,” Davutoğlu was quoted as saying by Yeni Şafak on Wednesday in response to a question on whether Turkish efforts to push Assad to comply with the demands of Syrians were still ongoing. Davutoğlu visited Syria over the summer for the last time before Assad raised the tone of crackdowns on his people, and as bloodshed continued, communication was cut between the countries. Turkey further backed up the stance with an improved arms embargo on Syria back in September and continues to provide shelter, food, medical care and education to some 7,000 Syrians who fled their country to seek refuge in the Turkish-Syrian border province of Hatay. Since May, around 20,000 Syrians in total fled to refugee camps in Hatay.

On Wednesday, Davutoğlu came together with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman as part of his tour of the Middle East.

The meeting, which lasted 45 minutes, focused on developments in the Middle East and especially in Syria, officials said.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh was also in attendance.