Turkey says 300 observers for Syria positive but insufficient

“Even that figure is insufficient. Maybe thousands of observers need to be sent to Syria. The greater the number of observers, the better they can monitor the whole country,” Erdoğan added. The Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Saturday expanding the number of UN cease-fire observers in Syria from 30 to 300 and demanding an immediate halt to the violence that has been escalating since the government and opposition agreed to end hostilities more than a week ago.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that it attaches great importance to the immediate implementation of the newly adopted Resolution 2043. Drawing attention to the fact that the violence and killing of civilians continue in spite of Syria's earlier commitments, the ministry said in a written statement: “Turkey expects Syria to fully cooperate with the UN supervision mission in Syria. It's our sincere wish that the Syrian regime immediately take all the necessary steps expected of it, eliminating the need for further measures.”

The resolution mandates a 90-day supervision mission in Syria -- including deployment of up to 300 unarmed military observers, as well as a civilian component -- to monitor the cease-fire and the implementation of international envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan.