Turkey Urges World to Stop Syria Bloodshed, Summons Envoy‎

Turkey on Sunday summoned the Syrian charge d'affaires to the foreign ministry in Ankara over attacks on its diplomatic missions and called on the international community for a united response to stop the bloodshed in Syria.

"Turkey summoned the Syrian charge d'affaires to the ministry ... and submitted a (diplomatic) note," the ministry said in a written statement.

"Turkey strongly condemns ... the loathsome attacks on its embassy in Damascus, consulate in Aleppo and honorary consulate in Latakia," it added.

Currently, the charge d'affaires is Syria's highest diplomatic envoy to Turkey.

Thousands of protestors carrying knives and batons attacked Turkey's diplomatic missions in Syria on Saturday night, furious over Ankara's support for an Arab League decision to suspend the country, diplomats told Anatolia news agency.

Arab League foreign ministers on Saturday voted to suspend Syria over its failure to comply with an agreement to end the crackdown on a nationwide protest movement calling for President Bashar al-Assad's resignation.

Turkey on Sunday hailed the decision saying it was "on time and of common sense", highlighting the "seriousness" of the situation in Syria.

"The attitude of the Syrian government ... demonstrates the need for the international community to respond with a united voice to the serious developments in Syria," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Syria's failure to fulfill its commitments to the Arab League is a "disappointment" for Turkey, the statement said.

"The Syrian government should read the message of the Arab League right and stop the violence against its own people," it said.

Earlier on Sunday, Turkey ordered the evacuation of non-essential diplomatic personnel from Syria over the attacks on its missions in the country, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Diplomats' families will also be evacuated under the decision, made amid growing security concerns following the attacks late Saturday, diplomats told Anatolia.

A Turkish Airlines plane flew to Damascus early Sunday to pick up the staff and family members, it added.

Ambassador Omer Onhon and diplomatic staff will stay on in Syria, it said.

Simultaneous protests took place Saturday night in Damascus and the northern cities of Latakia and Aleppo, where protesters managed to break into the consulate building, Anatolia said.

In Damascus, police used tear gas to disperse around 1,000 pro-regime protestors who tried to storm the Turkish embassy, officials told Anatolia.

The crowd hurled the tear gas shells into the grounds and pelted the embassy with stones and plastic bottles, the report said.

Meanwhile around 5,000 demonstrators smashed the windows of Turkey's honorary consulate building in Latakia and burned a Turkish flag.

No one was injured in the protests, Anatolia said.