ANKARA
The present situation in Syria deserves foreign intervention, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz has suggested, as the international community draws closer to ascertaining the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons following a chemical weapons attack which killed upwards of 1,300 people near the capital Damascus.
"It is very clear that chemical weapons were used. But even before that, 100,000 people died there. Doesn't that count?" Yildiz said.
"Beyond the chemical weapons rationale, we need to understand that the case (for an intervention) has already been made for the awakening of humanity. No country can remain indifferent to this."
UAE investment 'delayed'
Asked about reports that the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) state-owned energy company TAQA had decided to delay its investment plans in Turkey's southeast region, Minister Yildiz implied that the plans were too important to pass by and that Turkey might change tack to proceed with a B plan.
"We had reached a level of maturity in those plans with TAQA over the last 13 to 14 months. I hope that TAQA's choice (to delay its investment) is not politically motivated."
TAQA and Turkey's state-controlled Electric Generation Co. had agreed in January on a project worth up to 12 billion dollars to build power plants based on Turkey's coal reserves in its Afsin-Elbistan region, which the Energy Ministry says account for 40% of total reserves.
“This (potential) is very important for us, and it has a prominent place within our goals for generating power solely through domestic resources," he added
“We will not lose our determination. Whether our brothers in the UAE decide to delay or to go ahead with the plan, we have already launched talks with other countries.”
TAQA announced that it had decided to defer its investment commitment until 2014 "due to other spending priorities."
Turkey and the UAE have diverging views on the current crises in Egypt and Syria.
