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Turkey threatens Syria with retaliation
for downed jet
26.6.2012 |
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June 26, 2012
ANKARA,— Turkey's prime minister,
responding to the
downing of a
Turkish jet by Syrian forces, said Tuesday that
Turkish military will respond to any future
violation of its border by Syrian military elements.
"The rules of engagement of the Turkish Armed Forces
have changed," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. "Any
military element that approaches the Turkish border
from Syria by posing a security risk and danger will
be regarded as a threat and treated as a military
target."
Syria insists that the Turkish plane violated its
air space on Friday. But Turkey says that although
the unarmed RF-4E reconnaissance jet had
unintentionally strayed into Syria's air space, it
was inside international airspace when it was
brought down.
The head of the NATO military alliance called the
downing of the jet unacceptable on Tuesday, shortly
after Turkey briefed NATO's North Atlantic Council
in discussions held under Article 4 of NATO's
founding treaty, which allows a NATO member to
request consultations if its security has been
threatened.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said
the alliance condemns it "in the strongest terms,"
and expressed solidarity with Turkey, but made no
mention of retaliatory action.
Erdogan said Syria shot down the unarmed plane in
international airspace in a 'deliberate' and
'hostile' act and without warning. He said border
violations in the region were not uncommon. He said
Syrian helicopters violated Turkish airspace five
times recently, without Turkish response.
"No one should be deceived by our cold blooded
stance," Erdogan said. "Our acting with common sense
should not be perceived as a weakness."
The downing of the jet has aggravated tense ties
between the two neighbors. Turkey has repeatedly
called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down
as 33,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Turkey,www.ekurd.net
fleeing a government crackdown on a popular
uprising.
Erdogan said as much as Turkey's friendship is
valuable, Turkey's "wrath is as much violent and
crushing."
He said: "we will continue to be a burning torment
for circles who have adopted a hostile attitude
toward Turkey."
The public anger in Turkey is largely muted and
Huseyin Celik, a senior member of Erdogan's ruling
party, said the party grass-roots is against going
to war.
Turkey's president says his country would take the
"necessary" action against Syria, a day after
Damascus said it had brought down a Turkish military
plane that had entered its air space.
Abdullah Gul
said Saturday that Turkey was still
trying to establish the exact circumstances of the
incident and whether the jet may have been brought
down in Turkish territory.
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