Syrian President Bashar Assad said in a telephone conversation with UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that operations against protesters had
stopped, RIA Novosti reports.
The protests started in Deraa in mid-March and spread to other areas.
Syrian human rights activists say that 2,000 people have died so far.
Turkey has been assisting in a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Damascus on August
9 and had talks with President Bashar Assad. There have been no
official reports on the meeting.
The Turkish Minister for European Affairs and head of the delegation
for negotiations with the EU, Egemen Bagysh, said that it is a
critical moment for Syria and Turkey will continue efforts for a
peaceful process, especially during Ramadan.
