Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Aug 14 2012
French foreign minister to visit Syrian refugees in Turkey
14 August 2012 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, ISTANBUL
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will arrive in Turkey later
this week to visit a Syrian refugee camp in southeastern Anatolia and
for talks with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu, on the
situation in Syria, as part of a tour of the region that comes in the
wake of comments from former French President Nicolas Sarkozy accusing
François Hollande’s government of leading a passive Syria policy.
Fabius — one of the most senior officials in Hollande’s socialist
government, formed in early May — will be traveling to Jordan,
Lebanon and Turkey from Aug. 15-17 to discuss the Syrian crisis. All
three nations host large numbers of Syrian refugees.
During this regional trip, he will express France’s support for
refugees who have escaped the escalating violence in Syria. He will
meet with officials in the three countries to renew France’s support
for their efforts in welcoming refugees. The foreign minister will
also visit two refugee camps, and hold high-level discussions as part
of France’s efforts to promote a swift and credible political
transition in Syria.
Paying his first visit to Turkey on Friday, Fabius will visit Syrian
refugees hosted at refugee camps in the province of Kilis before he
meets DavutoÄ?lu in Ankara to discuss Syria.
DavutoÄ?lu last met with Fabius during his visit to Paris on July 5.
During their meeting in Ankara, in line with the Syrian crisis, the
sides will also discuss bilateral relations, which have been slated to
improve since socialist Hollande won the French presidency in early
May.
Former French leader Sarkozy not only opposed Turkey’s EU bid, but
also played a central role in driving the Armenian `genocide’ bill
that came about during his term in office. Turkey suspended military,
economic and political ties with the nation when the French parliament
passed the bill, making it a crime to deny that the 1915 killings of
Armenians constitute genocide.
Fabius’s regional visit comes after Hollande’s government was accused
by the right-wing opposition of a lack of action over Syria last week.
Breaking his silence in the past few days, Sarkozy has accused
Hollande, who won the French presidential elections against him, of
being passive over the resolution of the Syrian crisis. France took a
front seat in the military intervention in Libya, and Fabius’s visit
to the Middle East is of great importance in demonstrating France’s
commitment to finding a solution to the Syrian crisis.
Turkey, UK, US, France, Germany FMs hold teleconference on Syria
The foreign ministers of Turkey, the UK, the US, France and Germany
held a teleconference on Syria late on Monday, on the initiative of
the UK. The ministers discussed developments in Syria since the
resignation of Joint Special Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan, according to
Anatolia news agency. At the meeting, one of the main issues of debate
was steps towards resolution to be taken when France and then Germany
assumes the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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