AFP, Ankara, 23 Sept 2011 – Turkey has stopped a shipload of weapons destined for Syria, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, warning his country would seize any similar shipment made by air or land.
‘Turkey has arrested a ship flying the Syrian flag and carrying weapons,’ the Anatolia news agency quoted Erdogan as telling the press in New York where he attended the UN General Assembly.
Erdogan did not say when and where the ship was stopped.
The Turkish leader lashed out at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week, telling him the era of oppressive dictators was past.
Turkey has expressed frustration with Assad and his iron-fisted regime for failing to listen to the people, whose almost daily demonstrations for democracy have been met with violent repression, at a cost of more than 2,600 lives according to the UN.
Erdogan said he had told Syria that arms shipments would be stopped, adding: ‘If in the future arms shipments are made by air or land, we will stop and seize them as we have done’.
On Tuesday Erdogan said he had broken off dialogue with Syria and warned of sanctions, after talks with US President Barack Obama.
The two discussed the need to ‘increase pressure’ on the Syrian regime to aid the pro-democracy protests.