Syria was pushed deeper into isolation yesterday as neighbour Turkey threatened it with power cuts and halted joint oil exploration, on the eve of talks with Arab leaders on its unending bloodshed.
The Syrian government is on a very dangerous and narrow path, like the edge of a knife
A day after more than 70 people died in one of the bloodiest days of Syria’s eight-month uprising, UN chief Ban Ki-moon again urged embattled President Bashar al-Assad to “stop killing his own people.” Mr Ban said Mr Assad must implement an agreement he made with the Arab League in an effort to find a peaceful resolution to the uprising that has swept the country since mid-March and, according to UN estimates, killed more than 3,500 people.
“It is crucially important now that President Assad immediately stop killing his own people,” Ban said, urging Arab states to exercise their “leadership” in resolving the crisis quickly.
“This is a source of great concern not only for the region but for the whole international community, for democracy and humanity,” he said.
On November 2, Syria agreed to an Arab League roadmap to end the violence within two weeks but it failed to keep its end of the bargain, prompting the 22-member bloc to vote to suspend its membership at a Cairo meeting on Saturday.
The suspension is due to take effect today when Arab foreign ministers are due to gather again, this time in Morocco, to discuss their next move, with Turkey joining the talks.
In an apparent last-minute show of goodwill, authoritiesyesterday released 1,180 prisoners who were arrested during the anti-regime protests, in line with one of the points of the Arab League plan.
Nevertheless, Ankara hit Syria with energy sanctions, halting joint oil explorations and threatening to cut power supplies to its southern neighbour which has been struggling with electricity shortfalls for the past two years.
“We are currently exporting electricity (to Syria). If the situation continues like this, we may be in a position to revise all these decisions,” Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said.
Turkey, once a close ally of Damascus, has been exporting electricity to Syria since 2006.
Mr Yildiz also said Turkey’s Petroleum Corporation had stopped exploration with Syria’s national oil company in six wells, according to Anatolia news agency.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier warned Syria stood on the edge of a precipice.
“The Syrian government is on a very dangerous and narrow path, like the edge of a knife,” Mr Erdogan said.
The comments come in the wake of weekend attacks on Turkish diplomatic missions in three Syrian cities, and other embassies, by pro-regime protesters angry over Ankara’s support for the Arab League suspension vote.
The embassy attacks fuelled the anger of the 15-member UN Security Council who issued a statement yesterday condemning the attacks “in the strongest terms” and calling on Syrian authorities to respect their international obligations.