Syria unrest: Turkish nationals urged to return home

Turkey has urged its citizens to leave Syria, saying developments there have led to "serious security risks".

The foreign ministry said in a statement that some consular services would be halted on 22 March.

Meanwhile PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested a safe zone along the border, where refugee numbers have risen sharply in recent days.

The news comes as Syria marks the first anniversary of the uprising, which has left more than 8,000 people dead.

The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, is due to address the UN Security Council on his peace efforts.

Anti-government activists have called for mass protests across Syria on Friday to demand "immediate military intervention".

There have been clashes between government forces and army defectors in several areas near Damascus, activists say.

Mr Assad has always insisted his troops are fighting "armed gangs" who are seeking to destabilise Syria.

Refugee flow

The Turkish foreign ministry statement said consular services at its embassy in Damascus would end at the end of office hours next Thursday, but the consulate in the second city of Aleppo would remain open.

"Developments in Syria pose serious security risks for our nationals," the statement said.

"Therefore it is strongly recommended that Turkish nationals currently in Syria leave and return home."

Mr Erdogan said he would also consider withdrawing Turkey's ambassador once all its citizens had returned.

Two Turkish journalists are currently missing in Syria, and are reportedly in the hands of the security forces.

Some reports say they have been wounded and tortured.

Meanwhile, Turkey says it has seen a sharp increase in the flow of refugees across its border in the past few days, with about 1,000 arriving daily and 14,700 in total so far.

The Turkish authorities say they can cope with the current numbers, but they are expected to continue rising.

Mr Erdogan said various ideas were under consideration to deal with the problem.

"On the subject of Syria, a buffer zone, a security zone, are things being studied," he said.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Hatay, on Turkey's border with Syria, says officials are currently discussing the possibility of sending troops across the border into Syria, although they have not spelled out how this would be done.

This would be a big step and would not be done without clear international support, at least from the US, EU and Arab League, our correspondent says.

The international community remains divided, with Russia and China both blocking UN Security Council resolutions on Syria and aid groups from 27 countries urging them to condemn the government's use of violence.

But the two permanent members have backed Mr Annan's peace mission, in which he delivered a proposed plan to Mr Assad last week.

The plan includes demands for an immediate ceasefire by both sides, access for humanitarian aid, and the beginning of political dialogue.

A spokesman said he had received a response from Mr Assad but had questions about it "and was seeking answers".

The Syrian government has been trying to suppress an uprising inspired by events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The UN says thousands have been killed in the crackdown, and that many more have been detained and displaced. The Syrian government says hundreds of security forces personnel have also died combating "armed terrorist gangs".
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17398264