Turkish ministers expressed concern over the recent chemical attack that hit Syrian suburbs around the capital Damascus, killing over 1,000 civilians and leaving many others poisoned.
Minister of Family and Social Policies Fatma Sahin expressed her feelings over the attack by saying, "When I received the papers in the morning, I trembled out of worry." Referring to the children killed in the attack, Sahin said, "They are all our brothers, sisters, and children" and added that words and feelings had no meanings beyond the photos (which show the deaths of civilians).
She said a heart-wrenching human tragedy was being experienced in Syria "only 200 kilometres away from Turkey," adding that humanity had once again failed in the Syrian crisis, as it previously had in the cases of Halabja and Hiroshima.
Minister of Environment and Urbanisation Erdogan Bayraktar criticised the countries which he claimed did not do what was necessary in the Syrian crisis, blaming them for remaining silent.
He described the attack as 'barbarity' and said, "That person (Assad) uses chemical weapons against the babies, women, and elderly of his own country, even killing the children while they slept. Those countries which remain silent at such violence can not have tranquillity and prosperity at all."
Turkey will keep on supplying Syrians with every type of aid and help, the minister said.
Another criticism came from Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag who said, "the UN security council could not discharge its responsibility (for Syria crisis)."
Convening on an "emergency call," the UN discussed the reports of a chemical weapons attack in Syria and announced that they were 'concerned' over the attack.
"It is unacceptable to remain silent at the massacre and tragedy in Syria and to think over the countries' political benefits," Bozdag said.
Describing the photos of the attack as 'gory," he stated that no one with humanitarian values can ignore the images which showed the extent of the attack.
Stating that Assad was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians, Bozdag said that those who refused to take action despite being endowed with the authority to call the killers to account would also be responsible.
He stressed the need to investigate the attack immediately as a UN team of chemical weapons experts was already in Damascus.
Meanwhile, Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Omer Celik criticised the UN for failing to go beyond 'condemnation' of the chemical attack.
Meanwhile Celik addressed the situation in Egypt by stating that the release of Egypt's deposed leader Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for 30 years until he was overthrown in 2011, was "a total tragedy." He said, "the democratically elected President Morsi is in prison while the dictator Mubarak has been released. Moreover, no international organisation reacts to it. Now, I really wonder how they will speak of democracy, human rights, and the state of law, all of which are the basic values forming the legitimacy of the international community."
-'(The chemical attack in Syria) is a massacre and crime against humanity': Turkish Parliament Speaker Cicek
Referring to the claims that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against civilians, killing hundreds of people on Wednesday, Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek said the incident was a massacre and a crime against humanity.
"Those who just sit back and watch the attacks are party to the crime," Cicek said, calling on authorities to take action as soon as possible. "Otherwise, democracy, human rights, and freedom will have no meaning at all."
He also criticised the UN for not even naming what had just happened in Syria, stressing once again his strong condemnation of the chemical attack.
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