France Press

ANKARA: Turkey said Tuesday it will host a second "Friends of Syria" conference in Istanbul on April 2 in an attempt to pressure the Damascus regime to halt its year-long crackdown on opponents.
 
The announcement was made to the Turkish parliament by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called on the international community and international organizations to "take sincere steps" for Syria where he said the "honor of mankind is being trampled".
 
The Istanbul meeting will follow a first "Friends of Syria" conference in Tunis on February 24 which was attended by leading officials from Western and Arab countries.