Assad blew his chances of survival by failing to implement democratic reforms at the early stages of the Arab Spring, Turkey's foreign minister said Thursday. “I don't think that this regime, with these characteristics, can survive. It is against the logic of history and the flow of history,” Ahmet Davutoglu said in Vienna before heading to an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels. “A regime fighting against its own people, trying to keep the status quo, cannot survive,” he told reporters. If President Bashar Al-Assad had implemented reforms a year ago in the wake of the Arab Spring movements of democratic change across the Middle East, “he would have a much bigger chance,” Davutoglu added. “But after killing so many people, convincing his people — it is not important to convince us, he must convince his own people — is very difficult, almost impossible ... after all these massacres.” Monitors say more than 9,100 people have been killed in a revolt against Assad that started a year ago with peaceful protests before turning into an increasingly armed revolt. Davutoglu also said that he wanted “a joint international position and policy to act together” to ensure humanitarian access, not only to border areas but also to Syrian cities such as Homs. “If it is of course prevented, a tough measure leading to humanitarian protection (is needed). This humanitarian tragedy should not just be watched on TV,” he said. “We patiently are waiting for the P5 to agree on a resolution in the UN,” he said in reference to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. “Those who are talking on this issue should be acting responsibly because we are paying the price. There must be a quick action, there must be a joint position.” Clashes flared across Syria on Thursday, opposition activists said, the day after the UN Security Council had called on all sides to stop fighting and seek a negotiated settlement to the year-long uprising. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the Council's unanimous statement had sent a clear message to Syria to end all violence, but the appeal had little impact on the ground, where rebels are seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad. The rebel Free Syrian Army has set up a military council to coordinate operations around Damascus, as it brings the year-old conflict to the capital, it announced in an online video on Thursday.
