Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Turkey's top diplomat during six hours of talks on Tuesday that his government wouldn't give up its fight against what it calls terrorists, Syria's state news agency reported, despite international calls for a halt to the crackdown on antigovernment protesters.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, returning to Ankara, said he had delivered a call from his prime minister for Mr. Assad to take concrete steps to stop the bloodshed. Describing the talks as "frank and friendly," he said...