Credit: BBC
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said a working group will be set up with Turkey to plan a joint response to the Syrian crisis.
She said after talks in Istanbul that she had discussed with Turkey’s foreign minister how best to support opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
The US, she said, was also increasing aid for Syrian refugees.
Numbers of civilians fleeing violence in Syria have surged, according to the United Nations.
Turkey, like all of Syria’s neighbours, is dealing with a growing humanitarian crisis as thousands of refugees flood across the border.
Rebels in the northern city of Aleppo say they are preparing a counter-attack after withdrawing from the strategic south-west district of Salah al-Din under heavy bombardment.
Turkey is currently supporting more than 50,000 Syrian refugees, with more arriving every day.