Turkey: Assad could have a role in the interim leadership
Turkey will take a more active role in addressing the conflict in Syria in the next six months to prevent the war-torn country from being divided along ethnic lines, Turkish Prime Binali Yildirim said on Saturday.
DEBKAfile reported Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had struck a deal with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in St. Petersburg on Aug. 9. Part of that deal was a pledge by Moscow to help Turkey block all avenues for the Kurdish minority to attain full independence in Syria or Iraq.
Yildirim also told reporters in Istanbul that while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could have a role in the interim leadership, he must play no part in its future.