Erdogan to Assad: Time for Oppressors is Past

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday, telling him the era of oppressive dictators is past.

Erdogan, who is in Tripoli on the final leg of his "Arab Spring" tour, hailed the advent of democracy in Libya and the "memory of martyrs who sacrificed themselves for their country and their religion."

"You have proved in the eyes of the world that there is no regime that can go against the will of the people. This is what those who oppress the people of Syria should realize.

"This kind of leader should understand that his time is past because the era of repressive regimes has ended," Erdogan said.

Earlier Friday, the Turkish daily Hurriyet said Erdogan had warned Iran "not to spoil" the Syrian leadership, whose security forces have been cracking down on protesters since mid-March.

Erdogan said: "I cannot say there has been tension with Iran but we warned them (the Iranians) that 'the Assad administration is getting spoiled with your encouragement.'"

Turkey has expressed frustration with Assad and his iron-fisted regime for failing to listen to the people, whose almost daily demonstrations for democracy have been met with violent repression, at a cost of more than 2,600 lives according to the U.N.

"Unfortunately he did not do it," Erdogan said earlier this week, warning of the consequences of failing to meet popular aspirations for reform.

He said a solution would be for Assad to get rid of "those surrounding him who insist on the repression and the breaking of the Syrian people's will".

"If President Bashar does not take this step, he personally will pay the price," Erdogan said.