25 Sep 2011

Weapons ship seized by Turkey

7:37 pm on 25 September 2011

Turkey has seized a Syrian ship loaded with weapons in another sign of deteriorating relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to confiscate any other arms shipments destined for Syria coming through Tukish waters or airspace.

He did not say where or when the ship was stopped.

The Anatolia news agency said the announcement was made late on Friday in New York where Mr Erdogan attended the UN General Assembly.

The BBC reports Mr Erdogan has repeatedly criticised President Bashar al-Assad of Syria over the government's crackdown on street protesters.

Last week, Mr Erdogan said the era of oppressive dictators was over.

Turkey also hosted a conference of Syria's opposition groups recently.