Arab states will start dialogue with all forces in Syria to prevent reignition of war, says Qatar

Qatar has said Arab states will seek to avert the threat of a reignited Syrian civil war by starting an open dialogue with all the forces on the ground as the Turkish foreign minister said the formation of a new inclusive government in Damascus would allow millions of refugees to return home.

- Patrick Wintour

Both countries were backers of the Syrian opposition in the civil war that began in 2011, and are likely to have a key role in aspects of Syria's future.

Qatar's foreign affairs ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said Arab leaders meeting this weekend in Doha were "thankful for the very limited fighting" that preceded Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. "It makes it easier for international actors to go in and start engaging," he said.

The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, urged the international community to support Syrians and said a new administration must be established in an orderly manner. "It is time to unite and reconstruct the country," he said.

Turkey, home to more than 2 million Syrian refugees, has emerged as the biggest external beneficiary of Assad's fall, though there are fears about the destabilising potential of fighting between Turkish-backed forces and US-backed Syrian Kurds.

Russia, which has a military base in Syria, has been dealt a severe blow, as has Iran, which operated in Syria for 14 years as Assad's military enforcer and ideological support.