From Simon Cameron-Moore, Reuters:  Turkey said on Friday it could tolerate no more bloodshed in Syria and it was ready to take action with Arab powers if President Bashar al-Assad failed to take steps toward ending the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference that he hoped the Syrian government would give a positive response to Arab League plan on resolving the conflict.

"If it doesn’t, there are steps we can take in consultation with the Arab League," he said. "I want to say clearly we have no more tolerance for the bloodshed in Syria. The attitude of friendly and fraternal countries on this subject is clear."

The Arab League has set a Friday deadline for Syria to agree to comply or else face sanctions, including halting flights, curbing trade and stopping deals with the central bank.

Davutoglu said he was ready to attend a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers that could take place on Sunday, depending on Syria’s response. He was also consultating with the European Union, NATO and U.N. Security Council members.  (photo: Reuters)

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