BEIRUT: Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks in Ankara Wednesday with Turkey's top officials about the nine-month crisis in Syria, sounding pessimistic over the troubled country's willingness to implement the Arab League plan.

Hariri met with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Wednesday morning where the two discussed regional and international issues, particularly crisis-torn Syria, a statement from Hariri’s office said.

Following his meeting with Davutoglu, Hariri expressed doubt over Syria’s approval to send Arab observers to the troubled country.

“After the signing of the Arab League Protocol, the killing machine accelerated. And as Minister Davutoglu said, signing the initiative means signing all its clauses, including those related to stopping the killing and releasing all detainees,” Hariri’s press office quoted him as saying.

“Only then will there actually be positive steps, but we don’t see these steps,” he added.

Earlier this week, Syria signed the protocol to allow an observer mission into its territory and Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said the team would head to the troubled country within 72 hours.

Hours after Damascus signed the protocol, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said he hoped that the regional organization would now lift punitive sanctions imposed on Syria after the country failed to agree to the Arab League initiative.

The plan, approved by Syria in early November, calls for an end to the government’s violent crackdown on protesters, the release of political prisoners and the complete withdrawal of the military from the streets.

Following the talks in Ankara, Hariri along with Future Movement and Turkish officials were invited to lunch at Davutoglu's residence.

Hariri also met with Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital later in the day.

Both Turkey and the March 14 coalition, the Lebanese opposition grouping headed by Hariri, are staunch critics of President Bashar Assad’s government and have called on the embattled president to step down after Damascus’ violent crackdown against the uprising now in its ninth month.

According to Hariri’s press office, Davutoglu said the region was witnessing historic changes and now was the time for the Syrian people to achieve their goal for democracy.

“There are historic changes in the region and we all know that the course of history is moving in the direction of achieving the people’s demands,” the Turkish official told reporters after his meeting with Hariri.

“In North Africa and Tunisia, elections were held, and in Libya the process of change continues, as well as in Egypt. Now is the right time for the Syrian people to achieve their goals of democracy and transparency,” he added.

He echoed Hariri’s words regarding Syria’s approval of the Arab League’s protocol, saying that signing the protocol meant readiness to cooperate and work with the league.

“The Arab League’s mission is to stop the bloodshed and this is the main and urgent task, but even after the signing, the killing continues, and we will follow this matter closely,” Davutoglu said.

He added that Turkey would be at the disposal of the Arab League “to satisfy any request.”