Turkey is considering imposing sanctions against Syria for its brutal crackdown on the country's uprising and is coordinating its efforts with the United States, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying Wednesday, September 21.

According to AP, Erdogan also told Turkish journalists after talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in New York late Tuesday, that he is no longer in contact with Syria's leadership.

"I have cut all contacts with the Syrian administration," the state-run Anatolia quoted Erdogan as saying. "We never wanted things to arrive at this point, but unfortunately, the Syrian administration has forced us to take such a decision."

Earlier this month, Turkey hosted a group of Syrian opposition figures who declared a 140-member Syrian National Council in an effort to present a united front against President Bashir Assad. Some 7,500 Syrians are seeking refuge from the violence in six camps in Turkey, near the border.