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NATO to hold emergency meeting on Turkish jet shot down by Syria
NATO will hold an emergency meeting upon a request from Ankara over the issue of a Turkish warplane that was shot down by Syria on June 22.
NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Sunday that the “North Atlantic Council will meet on Tuesday at Turkey’s request.”
On June 22, Syria said its air defense forces shot down a Turkish F-4 Phantom in the Syrian airspace “according to the laws that govern such situations.” The aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Saturday that the fighter jet may have violated the Syrian airspace.
“It is routine for jet fighters to sometimes fly in and out over [national] borders… when you consider their speed over the sea,” Gul said.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told TRT television on Sunday, “According to our conclusions, our plane was shot down in international airspace, 13 nautical miles from Syria.”
“The plane did not show any sign of hostility toward Syria and was shot down about 15 minutes after having momentarily violated Syrian airspace,” Davutoglu said.
“Turkey will act with restraint but determination,” the minister stated, adding that Ankara will “bring this issue before public opinion and international law in the name of Turkey’s honor.”
However, Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi was quoted by the Syrian al-Watan daily as saying on Sunday that the incident was “an accident and not an assault as some like to say, because the plane was shot while it was in Syrian airspace and flew over Syrian territorial waters.”
In addition, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday expressed “his deep concern” about the incident, said his spokesman Martin Nesirky. Ban was concerned “particularly about the potential serious implications of this incident for the region,” Nesirky added.
The development comes two days after the UK newspaper Guardian said in a June 22 report that Turkey has allowed the establishment of a 22-member “command center in Istanbul which is coordinating supply lines” for the armed rebels inside Syria.
On June 3, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the country is “facing a war from abroad,” and that attempts are being made to “weaken Syria, [and] breach its sovereignty.” http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/06/24/247745/nato-to-meet-on-downed-turkish-jet/
this may sound interesting, are we gonna see a intervention soon? Allah knows best. This was completely created by turkey to provoke syria, these F-4 planes arent to be used anymore or atleast not for observing or attack. It was 1 km from syrian shore, and near russian tartus base.
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