Activists have staged a number of anti-Assad rallies in Turkey
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is running out of
patience over "the savagery" of Syria's security forces towards the
protesters.
Mr Davutoglu's visit comes as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain have all recalled their ambassadors to Damascus.
Syrian tanks again pounded the eastern city of Deir al-Zour on Monday.
At least 50 people died on Sunday after the army launched a pre-dawn assault.
Activists said that as in recent days, many people had been
afraid to leave their homes or take injured people to hospital for fear
of being attacked.
Syrian state TV has reported that Mr Assad has appointed a
new minister of defence, former army chief of staff Gen Dawoud Rajha. He
replaces Gen Ali Habib, said the report.
Turkey's view is that this is critical. Turkey has been
patient: PM Erdogan has had a warm personal relationship with President
Assad and has repeatedly urged him in the spirit of friendship to adopt
reform while remaining in power.
This time it will be different. Mr Davutoglu will say Turkey
is on the verge of joining other Western countries in condemning Syria,
possibly backing additional action at the UN Security Council.
Syria has warned it will give an equally tough message back -
Syria thinks it is not getting the understanding from Turkey that it is
from neighbours like Iran.
Mr Erdogan has no choice but to distance himself but his
words may not have much effect. If Turkey was to embrace economic
sanctions, that would definitely have a big impact but Turkey doesn't
believe that economic sanctions really work.
This may be the beginning of the end of a prosperous relationship the two have had in the past few years.
Sana has also said troops are
withdrawing from the city of Hama, which has come under heavy attack in
recent days. Witnesses say scores of people have died there.
Access to Syria has been severely restricted for
international journalists and it is rarely possible to verify accounts
by witnesses and activists.
Human rights activists say at least 1,700 civilians have been
killed and tens of thousands arrested since the uprising began in
mid-March. More than 300 people are believed to have died in the past
week alone.
'Burning anger'
Since Sunday's assault, 14 people have died in Syria, says the
Syrian Observatory of Human Rights - mostly in Deir al-Zour, though on
Tuesday four people were killed in Idlib province, bordering Turkey, and
the flashpoint city of Hama.
Prime Minister Erdogan delivered a tough message over the
weekend, not just saying he had run out of patience but pointing out
that from Turkey's point of view the Syrian crisis was almost an
internal problem of Turkey - they share a border over 800km (500 miles)
long, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul.
Their trade has become very entwined, especially on the border region, over the last 10 years.
Turkey's constituents - many of them Sunni Muslims -
sympathise with protesters in the neighbouring country, many of whom are
also Sunni Muslim - and there is burning anger in Turkey at what is
happening to them, our correspondent says.
Mr Davutoglu may threaten Turkish support for stronger action
by the UN Security Council, although few believe he will have much
success.
President Assad's spokeswoman has already warned of an equally tough reply from Damascus.
But our correspondent says that there is no suggestion yet
that Ankara will downgrade its diplomatic ties, or impose economic
sanctions.
In a statement over the weekend, King Abdullah of Saudi
Arabia said the events in Syria were "unacceptable", and that Damascus
had to choose between "wisdom" or being "pulled down into the depths of
chaos and loss".
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says that by Arab diplomatic
standards, it was a highly dramatic intervention by the Saudi monarch,
one of the most influential powers in the region.
The criticism of Bashar al-Assad comes from one of the most influential Arab leaders
King Abdullah said he had recalled his ambassador from Damascus
for consultation. That move was followed by Kuwait and then Bahrain.
On Monday the Arab League's head, Nabil al-Arabi, said he
hoped the crisis could be overcome "by peaceful means and by launching a
serious dialogue towards the reconciliation that the people have been
demanding".
Meanwhile the top Sunni Muslim authority, Cairo-based al-Azhar, said the situation in Syria had "gone too far".
The US State Department has said it is "very much encouraged by the strong statements" from the region.
Damascus says it is tackling "armed terrorist gangs" and that its critics have ignored its promises of political reform.
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