Clinton visits Turkey to discuss the ousting of Assad

Concluding an 11-day tour in Africa, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton landed in Turkey this morning to discuss plans to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Meetings have been set up with Turkey’s Prime Minister and foreign minister and Hilton also plans to meet with large numbers of Syrian refugees who recently fled their war-torn country.

Clinton’s visit in Istanbul is expected to give the US an opportunity to discuss Syria with Turkey which is considered to be a key player in support of the Syrian opposition and the collapse of Assad’s regime after a year and a half of turmoil and bloodshed.

New sanctions on Syria’s state-run oil company Sytrol and Lebanon-based Hezbollah have been announced by Treasury and State departments in Washington.

Hezbollah has been charged by the US for having provided training and logistical support, as well as advice, to Assad’s government.

To date, sanctions imposed by the US have not helped to stop Assad’s attacks on the opposition despite the imposition of economic sanctions.

After being set back by government forces in Aleppo, rebels announced the preparation for a new attack on Friday in an attempt to take control over the country’s largest city.