Time running for Assad in Syria: Erdogan

WASHINGTON: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be ousted "sooner or later" by his own people as the time of dictatorial rule fades around the world, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said.

Erdogan, in an interview on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" to be aired on Sunday, maintained his stern tone towards Israel and warned relations may "never become normal again" but he had warm words for US President Barack Obama as Turkey rises as a diplomatic power in the Middle East.

"You can never remain in power through cruelty. You can never stand before the will of the people," Erdogan said in a transcript released by CNN on Saturday.

"This process might be extended a little bit more but sooner or later in Syria, if people take a different decision, that decision is going to be catered to Such as in Egypt such as in Tunisia, such as in Libya. People want to be free."

Democracy is overtaking autocracy, he said, and "dictatorial systems are burning down to the ground."

Copyright Reuters, 2011