A day of talks between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan were dominated by the civil war there but Obama refused to see US troops drawn into the conflict.
"There is no magic formula for dealing with the extraordinarily violent difficult situation like Syria," said Obama. " I reserve the option of taking additional steps both diplomatic and military."
Prime Minister Erdogan was more forthright about his aims:
"Syria should not be an area controlled by terrorist groups. The use of chemical weapon must be prevented. Security for all the minorities must be provided. These are the priorities."
In the end both men stressed the strength of their relations over trade, terrorism and commercial interests. But they both also voiced intentions towards the Middle East with Erdogan going ahead with a visit to Gaza and Obama announcing a trip to the West Bank.
Source: Euronews
