Syria's Assad a terrorist - Erdogan

Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan has called Syrian president, Basah al Assad a terrorist and says he can't work with him because it's impossible for Syrian peace efforts to continue with him.

Turkey has demanded the removal of Assad from power and backed rebels fighting to overthrow him, but it has toned down its demands since it started working with Assad's allies Russia and Iran for a political resolution reports Reuters.

Assad is definitely a terrorist who has carried out state terrorism," Erdogan told a televised news conference with his Tunisian counterpart Beji Caid Essebsi in Tunis on Wednesday.

It is impossible to continue with Assad. How can we embrace the future with a Syrian president who has killed close to a million of his citizens?" he said.

Turkey is now more focused in Syria on the threat from Islamist militants and Kurdish fighters it considers allies of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), who it says have formed a "terror corridor" on its southern border.

Despite its differences with Russia and Iran, Turkey has worked with the two powers in the search for a political solution in Syria.

Ankara, Moscow and Tehran also brokered a deal to set up and monitor a "de-escalation zone" to reduce fighting between insurgents and Syrian government forces in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province.