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Ban: Syria Violating Security Council Demands

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said Friday that increased attacks by government forces on Syrian cities "violate" the U.N. Security Council's demand for an end to hostilities.

The U.N. secretary general strongly condemned new violence and indicated he believes President Bashar Assad is using an April 10 deadline to pull troops and heavy weapons away from cities as "an excuse" to step up killing.

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Turkey's FM Calls U.N. Chief as Refugees Pour in from Syria

Ankara has urged the U.N. to send officials to its border with Syria, where record numbers of refugees fleeing an assault by troops backed by helicopters have poured into Turkey in less than two days, a diplomatic source said Friday.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urgently called U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon in the early hours of Friday after more than 2,800 Syrians crossed into the country in the last 36 hours, reportedly fleeing a helicopter-backed assault by government troops, the source said on condition of anonymity.

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Erdogan Calls on Iran to Act 'Honestly'

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday called on neighboring Iran to act honestly after Tehran's about-face on Istanbul as the venue for nuclear negotiations.

"It is necessary to act honestly. They continue to lose prestige in the world because of a lack of honesty," Erdogan told a televised press conference in the latest salvo in the war of words between the two countries.

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Turkey Does Diplomatic Split to Stay Friends with U.S., Iran

How does a country stay friends with both Washington and Tehran? How does it condemn the Syrian regime without alienating Iran?

These are the headaches troubling Turkish diplomats as Iran's nuclear program and the bloodshed in Syria put them in an increasingly awkward position with neighbors Iran and Syria and traditional ally the United States.

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Turkish Media Praise Landmark Coup Trial

The trial of the two remaining leaders of the 1980 military coup in Turkey was hailed by Turkish media Thursday as a landmark case and critical reminder of the country's coup-marred history.

"Never again!" read liberal daily Taraf's headline, as the newspaper applauded the trial in which Turkey is finally coming to grips with the bloody coup that traumatized civil politics 32 years ago.

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Iraq Oil Exports Resume after Pipeline 'Sabotage'

Iraq resumed pumping oil via a pipeline through Turkey after a fire resulting from an "act of sabotage" was brought under control, the Iraqi oil ministry said on Thursday.

"The pumping of oil was resumed at mid-day (0900 GMT) at the same rate after the fire was brought under control," ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told Agence France Presse.

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1,000 Syrian Refugees Fled to Turkey in One Day

More than 1,000 Syrian refugees fled to Turkey in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of people currently staying in Turkey to nearly 21,000, a Turkish official told AFP on Thursday.

"A total of 1,043 Syrians made their way to Turkey in a single day, marking the highest figure in recent times," the official said on condition of anonymity.

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Ankara Summons Iran Envoy over Syria Conference Remarks

Turkey's foreign ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador Wednesday over remarks by a top official in Tehran denouncing an international conference on the Syria crisis held in Istanbul.

The move came as Iran said it no longer wanted Turkey to host nuclear talks, and followed comments reportedly made by Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani critical of Ankara for staging the "Friends of Syria" conference.

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Ruling Party Office Damaged as Home-Made Bombs Rock Istanbul

Four home-made bombs exploded simultaneously in an Istanbul district Tuesday, causing minor damage to an office of the ruling party but no injuries, Anatolia news agency reported.

One of the bombs was thrown onto the balcony of a building housing an office of the ruling Justice and Development Party, while the others appeared to have been set off at random in the same Umraniye district.

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Analysts: 'Friends of Syria' Hit Brakes to Avoid Conflict

Sunday's "Friends of Syria" conference sidestepped solid measures against the Damascus regime for fear of getting sucked into a conflict that could defy control, analysts and experts said.

Although most countries are committed to a political transition that puts President Bashar al-Assad out of power, they are concerned with the military venture they might have to risk for that, observers suggested.

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