Erdogan, there are no obstacles for reconciliation with Assad

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he "sees no obstacle" to resuming relations with President Bashar al-Assad if the latter agrees to maintain a military presence of Turkey in northern Syria. "Through my friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, we thought we could open a door, precisely regarding our fight against terrorism in northern Syria which requires close cooperation and solidarity," Erdogan said referring to Kurdish militias during an interview with Cnn, as reported by the television channel on its website. "If we can do this, I said I see no obstacles remaining in the way of our reconciliation," said Erdogan who broke off ties with Assad after the Syrian conflict began in 2011. "The only reason for our military presence on the border is the fight against terrorism", Erdogan said after the Syrian president had said in recent weeks that Ankara would have to withdraw its troops from northern Syria to start discussing a possible reconciliation.