Poll: Turks Oppose Direct Intervention in Syria
Most Turks oppose direct intervention by their country in neighboring Syria, a Turkish opinion poll revealed Friday, as the escalating conflict threatens to become outright civil war.
Fifty-seven percent said they were against Turkey intervening in Syria, while 11.7 percent said they were for a military confrontation with the Damascus regime, according to the poll sponsored by an Istanbul-based think-tank, the Center for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM).
Among those who opposed direct intervention, 41.1 percent said Turkey should not interfere in any way, while the remaining 15.9 percent said they supported the current government-led political and diplomatic policies toward Syria.
The survey was conducted between May 5 and June 5 among a representative sample of 1,500 people across the country.
Turkey's government, a former ally of Syria's President Bashar Assad, broke with Damascus after its calls on the regime to stop bloody crackdown on popular dissent went unheeded.
Turkey now shelters 30,800 Syrians after successive waves of refugees fled across the border throughout the year to escape the regime's crackdown on their hometowns, particularly in northwestern regions situated close to the Turkish border.
Monitors say at least 14,400 Syrians have been killed in the 15-month uprising against Assad and the toll grows daily despite a ceasefire plan that should have gone into effect from April 12.
Source: Agence France Presse
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