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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEurope rules out military action in Syria after Turkish jet shot down
Turkey has said the jet mistakenly strayed into Syrian airspace Friday, but was quickly warned to leave by Turkish authorities and was a mile inside international airspace when it was shot down.
Syria said it was unaware that the F-4 Phantom belonged to Turkey and that it was protecting its air space against an unknown intruder.
Ankara has called a meeting of NATO'S governing body on Tuesday to discuss the incident. Any ally can request such consultations if they feel their territorial integrity or security has been threatened.
"What happened is to be considered very seriously (but) we do not go for any interventions," said Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal.
Guido Westerwelle, his German counterpart also urged calm. "I think it is still important that we continue to work on a political solution (to the Syrian crisis)," Westerwelle said as he arrived for a regular meeting of EU ministers. "De-escalation is crucial at this moment."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9354468/Europe-rules-out-military-action-in-Syria-after-Turkish-jet-shot-down.html
is more or less finished. Go back and read Gates' speech/warninga about NATO prior to his
retirement.
I doubt at this point there would be much of a response even if Syria shot down a Turkish jet(s)
in their air space.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,424 posts)If the jet had made it back to international airspace (and that's still an 'if' - we've just Turkey's word for it), the action by Syria was unwise. But let's remember that Syria has had its airspace invaded in the past few years, and then it was bombed. I don't see that this response to a new incursion means there has to be more killing -by us.
Iggy
(1,418 posts)but based on where this is going (potential full scale civil war) I assume a military response will
be "required". word is we're already arming the rebels.
tabatha
(18,795 posts)The CIA has recently been deployed to Turkey to make sure that the arms being provided by private sources are not going to Al Qaeda types.
The rebels have struggled to find arms to defend themselves against the Syria brutality until recently.
Clinton and Obama are adamant that the US provide only non-lethal support.