Syria's Assad says will only meet Turkey's Erdogan if 'core' issues addressed

DUBAI (Reuters) - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday he would only meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan if the two countries could focus on the core issues of Ankara's support for "terrorism" and the pullout of Turkish forces from Syrian territory.

"The problem is not the meeting, but its content," a video clip released by the presidency showed Assad telling reporters in Damascus.

Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels looking to oust Assad. The Syrian leader views the rebels as terrorists.

Ankara also established a "safe zone" in northern Syria where Turkish troops are now stationed, and it has carried out several cross-border military operations against militants it says threaten Turkey's national security.

Erdogan said earlier in July he would extend an invitation to Assad "any time" for possible talks to restore relations.

"What is the basis for the meeting? Would it be ending the reasons for the problem, which are supporting terrorism and withdrawing from Syrian lands?... This is the core of the problem."

"If there were no discussion about the core of (the problem), what would such a meeting mean?"

Assad added that he would respond positively to any initiative aimed at improving bilateral ties but that the basis for such talks must be set first.

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Gareth Jones)