We wish to participate in meeting of 'Syria's Friends' in Tunisia, says U.S. Secretary of State Clinton

WASHINGTON (A.A) - February 14, 2012 - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that they wished to participate in the meeting of 'Syria's Friends' to take place in Tunisia soon. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Clinton had a working lunch and a tete-a-tete meeting in Washington on Monday. The two leaders held a joint press conference following their meeting. Speaking at the press conference, Clinton said that she was pleased to host a friend and counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Washington in order to hold consultations on issues important for both the U.S. and Turkey. I am always pleased to meet Davutoglu, Clinton said. Turkey and the U.S. share common values. The two countries work closely not only for their own peoples but also for the peaceful and prosperous future of peoples across the globe, Clinton underlined. Our two countries stand shoulder to shoulder as NATO allies, in the fight against PKK and Al Qaeda terror and as economic partners, Clinton noted. -Most important item on agenda: Syria...- We held many consultations with each other last year due to changes taking place in the Middle East and North Africa. The developments in Syria were the most important item on our agenda today, Clinton stressed. It is painful to see the regime in Syria use artillery and tanks against an innocent people. We are with the Syrian people and are in an effort for a peaceful solution in Syria, Clinton said. The U.S. and Turkey urges Syria to listen to the calls of the Arab League to immediately stop the killing of civilians, withdraw military forces from cities, permit journalists and observers into the country, free political prisoners, begin a real and sincere democratic change process and start a serious dialogue with the opposition, Clinton said. As the U.S., we strongly support the decisions of the Arab League in the Cairo meeting. We wish to participate in the meeting of 'Syria's Friends' that will take place in Tunisia with an initiative by the Arab League, Clinton emphasized. Both Davutoglu and I will play very active role in order to solve the Syrian crisis. We will increase diplomatic pressure so that the Syrian regime ends the campaign of violence, Clinton said. We will strengthen sanctions to meet our target and bring the international community together so that the Assad regime gets condemned. We will increase contact with the opposition both in Syria and out of Syria, Clinton noted. We will work with Turkey and other partners so that the people of Syria in a difficult position receive humanitarian assistance, Clinton underlined. -"Turkey is one of the leading countries..."- We will work closely with Turkey and other countries so that a political process gets supported in the way leading to the international conference in Tunisia, Clinton said. The Syrian people deserve a democratic future in which there is no state pressure, terrorism or radicals who favor violence. We are aware of the calls of the Syrian people for assistance, Clinton noted. We are determined to send urgent assistance materials to those injured in Syria, Clinton said. As part of our determination, we will increase the funds allocated to international organizations like the Red Crescent and Red Cross. We are trying to provide assistance to those Syrians who have no access to electricity or water, Clinton said. Turkey is one of the leading countries and, as a neighbor of Syria, it is a country highly interested in the developments taking place in Syria. Turkey is a country that understands the pain of the Syrian people. Turkey is providing an alternative model to the brutal Assad regime, Clinton stressed. -Iran and other issues- Another issue we discussed today was Iran. Our two-way approach to Iran, involving both sanctions and a dialogue, continue, Clinton said. We do recognize Iran's right for peaceful nuclear energy. At the same time, there are international responsibilities that Iran must fulfill in nuclear energy, Clinton said. Today, we talked about Turkey's support to the new democracies in the region and made Turkey's successful democracy a "real model" for these countries, Clinton noted. Clinton said that they wished for the Heybeliada Seminary to be reopened. Hillary Clinton also touched on the importance of making contributions to the democracies in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and emphasized that they should focus on the needs of Syria.