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Turkey Says New Arab Ultimatum is 'Last Chance' for Syria

A new Arab League ultimatum which gives Syria until later Friday to agree to accept observers or face sanctions represents a last chance for the regime in Damascus, Turkey's foreign minister said.

"It is a last chance, a new chance for Syria," Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Istanbul in the final hours before the 11:00 GMT deadline.

"We think it is now vital to put an end to the suffering of the Syrian people," said Davutoglu at a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Jordan's King Abdullah have both called on their neighboring leader Assad to quit over a crackdown on protesters which the United Nations says has left more than 3,500 people dead.

The Arab ultimatum was issued Thursday at the end of a crisis meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo, during which the 22-member bloc also for the first time called on the United Nations to help resolve the crisis.

Source: Agence France Presse


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