Monday, June 25, 2012

Turkey Seeks NATO Action After Syria Shoots Down One of Its Warplanes

See the Wall Street Journal, "Turkey Promises 'Necessary Steps' After Syria Downs Jet."

And at Telegraph UK, "Nato to meet over Turkish plane 'being shot down' over Syria":
Nato has said it would meet to discuss member state Turkey's accusation that Syria shot down one of its warplanes in international airspace and not inside its own territory, as Damascus claims.

NATO said it would hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday following a request from Turkey that invoked Article Four of the alliance's founding treaty, which covers threats to member states' security.

Turkey has already acknowledged that its fighter jet might at some point have entered Syrian airspace. But after an initially cautious response, Ankara toughened its rhetoric on Sunday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Turkey's TRT television that at the time it was shot down, their plane was in international airspace, 13 nautical miles from Syria.

Syria had given no warning before opening fire, he added.

The fighter had been on an unarmed training mission to carry out a radar system test, and both pilots are still missing.
Looks like Turkeys torn between East and West, or the Middle East and the Western alliance.

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