ANKARA
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Wednesday that Turkey was expelling Syrian chargé d'affaires and all other personnel with the Syrian Embassy in Ankara.
"As of May 30, the order was conveyed to Syrian chargé and all personnel with the embassy to leave Turkey in 72 hours," Erdogan told reporters after participating in a meeting in the Turkish capital.
Turkey's move follows last Friday's bloody attack in Houla, which left at least 110 civilians including 50 children dead as UN reports said the killings included close-range execution-style shootings of entire families in their homes by suspected pro-Assad militia known as shabiha.
Following the attack, the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and the Netherlands have expelled Syrian diplomats in a coordinated move.
Responding to a question whether Turkey had any plans to set up "a buffer zone" inside Syria to ward off an influx of Syrian fleeing violence, Erdogan said the government had yet to make any decision on the issue.
"We haven't make any decision regarding the buffer zone. That is a step we could take depending on future developments," he said.
