Ankara says Syria at the end of the road

ANKARA, Turkey, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Turkey can no longer sit in silence as atrocities continue in neighboring Syria, the Turkish foreign minister said in announcing unilateral sanctions.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday announced the government would end military assistance to Syria in an effort to persuade Damascus to end its crackdown on the opposition.

"Until a legitimate government, which is at peace with its people, is in charge in Syria, the mechanism of the high level strategic cooperation council has been suspended," he was quoted by Turkish daily newspaper Today's Zaman as saying.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, the foreign minister added, has come "to the end of the road."

A report backed by the United Nations highlighted potential crimes against humanity in Syria, including the alleged rape, torture and killing of children at the hands of Syrian security forces.

The U.N. Security Council has been unable to act because of opposition from China and Russia, two veto-wielding members.

Davutoglu said Ankara would institute economic sanctions on members of the Syrian regime and several of its backers, however.

The United Nations estimates at least 3,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria since the uprising began March.

"Every bullet fired, every bombed mosque has eliminated the legitimacy of the Syrian leadership and has widened the gap between us," Davutoglu said. "Syria has squandered the last chance that it was given."