Turkey 'to tolerate' non-violent regime figures in Syrian transition

Regime figures that are not involved in killings in Syria may remain in power, said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Hosted by Anadolu Agency Editors' Desk to discuss the political agenda at AA headquarters in capital Ankara on Thursday, Davutoglu said all foreign elements must leave Syria as Al -Qaeda, Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and PYD, political offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are all risk factors for Turkey. He said a psychological war was being conducted to damage Turkey's image by falsely claiming that Turkey was supporting the radical armed groups in Syria. "The radical groups in Syria make the regime seem like a "lesser evil" by adopting such wrong methods" he said. "The ISIL, a radical group fighting in Syria, emerged when the opposition gained the upper hand in northern Syria said the minister adding "The regime and the ISIL are backstage partners". The ISIL emerged when the opposition gained upper hand in northern Syria and the regime and the ISIL are backstage partners, said the minister. "The Syrian regime accuses the opposition with terrorism and thus they gain legitimacy to suppress the so-called act of terrorism with a bigger act of violence," he said. "This situation triggers more clashes." Stating that the Syrian opposition should attend Geneva II - peace talks aimed at ending the three year long conflict in Syria -  scheduled for January 22, Davutoglu also approved Iran's participation in the conference "as long as Iran accepts the conditions agreed on in Geneva 1." "UN can't take a stand against the Syrian crisis, which witnessed the greatest humanitarian loss in the last century," the minister criticized. "When do we need UN Security Council if not now? An organization which is not able to take decisions, also loses its capability to implement anything." The minister urged the international community to do its part to ensure that the Syrian regime ends its assaults. He also said "I call on AA to become the voice of the Syrian people, to become the voice of humanity when everyone remains silent on the humanitarian crisis in Syria" - Turkey stands by Syrian people Davutoglu blamed the regime for the killings of about 150 thousand people since the uprising began in March 2011. "If the Syrian regime had accepted a democratic transition, it would now be walking with Turkey", Davutoglu said: "We are on the side of Syrian people no matter what their ethnicity or sect they belong to." Touching upon the ongoing barrel bomb attacks by the Syrian regime, Davutoglu said these are mass destructive weapons and attacks are crimes against humanity. - Clashes in Iraq's Anbar Davutoglu, expressing concern over the latest developments in Iraq, said lack of civil policy triggered terrorism in Iraq. Iraqi government is fighting against militants who were claimed to have gained control over two main cities Ramadi and Fallujah in the country's Anbar province, west of capital Baghdad. The latest wave of clashes in Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi killed many civilians and security officers. "Settling dispute between the clashing sides in Iraq and transferring energy resources through Turkey will be our biggest benefit", he said. He also added that all security measures had been taken to protect Turkish citizens and companies from the clashes in Iraq. - "Danger zone" in Hamburg worrying Davutoglu said racism has risen in Europe since the global financial crisis and expressed concern over "danger zone" implementation in Hamburg after the clashes between German police and protesters due to the eviction of a left wing cultural center in the northern city of Hamburg. "This kind of implementation is worrying. It is important that Germany has the same freedoms as all of Europe according to international standards. We are following the incidents with concern." Around 7,000 people protested the eviction of Rote Flora Cultural Center which has been occupied by the left-wing activists since 1989 and served as a meeting point for them in Hamburg. - Domestic politics Davutoglu said "parallel states" were "unacceptable" and "intolerable" regarding the Istanbul-based operation that was launched on December 17 which led to the arrest high-profile bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen, including the sons of two former cabinet ministers and the head of state owned Halkbank. Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said the anti-graft operation was a "dirty operation of dark alliances" from Turkey and abroad. He had also named a "parallel state"  within the state trying to damage his government. His comments were latest in a series of attacks to Gulen movement led by Fethullah Gulen, the Islamic preacher settled in the US.