Davutoglu Should Give Up 'Military Solution' in Syria
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is getting nowhere in his bid to have the European Union lift the arms embargo on Syria, and he should realize his pursuit of a military solution there is only prolonging the conflict, writes Semih Idiz.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu insists on flogging a dead horse. Having failed to persuade Washington during Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent visit to Turkey to supply arms to the Syrian opposition, he is now working on the EU to lift its arms embargo on Syria.
Visiting London last week for an international meeting on Yemen, Davutoğlu held talks with his British counterpart, William Hague, trying to convince him that the Syrian opposition is at a serious disadvantage because it lacks the necessary weapons. He did not openly call for a lifting of the EU embargo but it was clear that this is what he was getting at.
Asked by reporters if he wanted the embargo to be lifted, Davutoglu’s said tellingly: "If one side only has weapons at the end of the day, the side which has weapons in their hands have all the opportunities to kill the other side."
Davutoglu added that he had also taken up the matter with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle recently. London and Berlin however have indicated that they are in favor of upholding the EU’s embargo. Hague in particular is concerned about Islamist fighters in Syria.
