Turkey is considering imposing sanctions against Syria

Turkey says it has suspended talks with Syria and is considering imposing sanctions against the neighboring country for its crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Turkish journalists in New York that he did not want things between Syria and Turkey to arrive at this point, but the Syrian government "forced" Turkey to make the decision.

He spoke after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly late Tuesday.

Erdogan said Turkish foreign ministry officials will work with the U.S. State Department to determine what sanctions Turkey might impose.

The White House said Obama and Erdogan agreed at their meeting to consult on possible new steps that "could include sanctions, political pressure and other measures" against Syria.

Turkey shares a border with Syria and has shown reluctance toward sanctioning its southern neighbor, which is also an important trade partner.

But Turkish leaders have spoken out more and more in recent weeks against the Syrian government's violence against protesters, the Voice of America reports.

The Obama administration confirmed that the president and the Turkish prime minister raised the issue of sanctions against Syria during their meeting. Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser, said Mr Obama and Mr Erdogan agreed on the need to increase pressure on the Al Assad regime and agreed to consult on possible further steps that "could include sanctions, political pressure, other measures", the National reports.