Turkish President Erdogan says meeting with Syria's Assad is a 'possibility'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that a meeting with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad is a possibility, after cutting diplomatic ties with the regime throughout the 11-year conflict there.

Turkey has backed the rebels fighting to topple Assad, with Erdogan calling him a "murderer".

Asked by a reporter in the parliament whether he could meet with the Syrian leader, Erdogan said: "It's possible. There's no room for resentment in politics. Ultimately, steps are taken under the most favourable conditions."

Despite the lack of contact between Erdogan and Assad, the two countries' spy chiefs have maintained contact.

Assad stamped out dissent by shooting protesters and then bombing towns and cities.

His forces also detained tens of thousands of protestors, activists, and others uninvolved in anti-regime activists almost as soon as the Syrian uprising began in 2011 with many feared dead from torture. 

His regime is accused of committing appalling war crimes, including killing of detainees, the use of chemical weapons on towns, and targeting hospitals.

Erdogan surprised many when he briefly met on Sunday with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Qatar for the first time.

A photo distributed by the Turkish presidency showed the two leaders shaking hands.

Erdogan and Sisi have been sparring since the Egyptian military's 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, personally backed by Erdogan.

Asked whether or not he would have a second meeting with Sisi, Erdogan didn't give a date.