Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday he was doubtful that President Bashar al-Assad would fulfil his pledge to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control, and said he was buying time for new “massacres”.

France said Wednesday it would remain poised to launch military action against Syria over its use of chemical weapons despite ongoing attempts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, will pay a three-day official visit to Turkey from next Monday for talks on bilateral relations, focusing on economic cooperation, state media reported on Wednesday.