Assad responsible for break of ties with Turkey, former Muslim Brotherhood leader says

ISTANBUL (A.A) - February 29, 2012 - Former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood has blamed Syrian President Bashar al Assad for a downturn in relations between Turkey and Syria, rejecting remarks by Syria's top diplomat who had said it was the Brotherhood that had driven a wedge between the two long-time allies.        "Syrian Foreign Minister Moallem is distorting the facts. It is the Assad government itself who burned bridges with Turkey by turning a deaf ear to reform calls and continuing to kill its own people. We all know that tensions were heightened when Assad refused to listen to Turkey's advice and failed to speed up reforms," Ali Sadr al-Din al-Bayanouni told the Anadolu Agency.    Al-Bayanouni said his hopes were high about the Friends of Syrian People, a group of countries that seek an international agreement on how to end violence in Syria, adding that the group should move fast and implement its decisions. "Just two days ago Syrian security forces murdered 67 people in Baba Amr. There is no end to the army's shelling. We urge all humanity to move to end the killings and the attacks," he said.