BERLIN
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has condemned twin car bomb blasts in a Turkish town near the Syrian border which killed at least 46 people and wounded more than 100 others.
"Germany stands by Turkey in these difficult times. The perpetrators must be held accountable," Westerwelle told a joint press appearance with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, who pays a visit in Berlin.
Saturday's double bombings in the Reyhanli town across Syria's Idlib province were the deadliest cross-border spillover since the Syrian revolt began in March 2011.
Nine people were detained in connection with the attacks.
Those detained were affiliated with a former Marxist terrorist organization with "direct links" to the Syrian regime, Davutoglu told the joint press meeting.
Davutoglu stressed the bombings came at a time when a fresh initiative agreed by the United States and Russia raised hopes for a diplomatic solution to the Syria crisis.
Davutoglu also criticized strongly "inaction" of the international community, accusing the UN Security Council for failing to live up to its obligations.
"International peace and security cannot be tied to if and when the five permanent members [of the Security Council] will agree. For the past two years, the Security Council has failed to take necessary measures against a regime that threatens the international security with chemical weapons," Davutoglu said.
