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  • ANKARA: French foreign minister to visit Syrian refugees in Turkey

    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
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