Turkey closed its embassy in Damascus Monday, citing deteriorating security conditions in Syria, according to an anonymous Turkish diplomatic source. Activities at the Turkish embassy have been suspended and all diplomatic personnel have left the Syrian capital. Despite the closure of the embassy, Turkey\'s consulate in the northern city of Aleppo will remain open. Turkey has called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down and imposed a number of sanctions on Damascus. It is also due to host a Friends of Syria conference in Istanbul on April 1 to pressure the Damascus regime.