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October 15, 2012 Monday 2:36 PM EST
Turkey allows cargo to depart after Armenian plane searched
By Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz, CNN
Istanbul
For the second time in a week, Turkish officials searched a civilian
airplane headed to Syria in what appears to be the enforcement of a
new Turkish air blockade against the Syrian government.
Armenian and Turkish diplomats confirmed to CNN that an Armenian cargo
plane destined for the battle-scarred Syrian city of Aleppo stopped
first in the Turkish city of Erzurum for an inspection of its cargo
Monday morning.
Also on Monday, the European Union added to Syria's growing isolation
by announcing a 19th round of sanctions against the regime. One of the
punitive measures bans Syrian Arab Airlines planes from all European
Union airports.
"This comes in addition to an existing ban on Syrian cargo flights,"
the EU Council announced in a news release.
The Armenian cargo was eventually allowed to fly on to Syria after
remaining grounded and searched in Turkey for at least five hours.
Read more: Report: Turkey diverting civilian planes to avoid Syrian airspace
Unlike last week's unexpected grounding of a Syrian passenger plane
flying from Moscow to Damascus, the inspection of the Armenian
airplane appeared to have been agreed upon ahead of time by Armenian
and Turkish authorities.
"The plane is transporting humanitarian aid to Syria and its stop in
Turkey was planned," Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran
Balayan wrote in an e-mail to CNN before the cargo was allowed to
leave.
"An Armenian civilian cargo aircraft requested overflight permission
from Yerevan to Aleppo," explained Selcuk Unal, a spokesman for
Turkey's Foreign Ministry.
"We provided a license for use of our airspace provided they first
make a 'technical landing.' "
Read more: Turkey to Syria: Don't send arms through our air space
"We are exercising our sovereign right," Unal added.
Last Wednesday, Turkey made a conspicuous show of force, dispatching
F-16 warplanes to escort the Syrian passenger plane headed from Moscow
to Damascus to an unplanned stop in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
After a search of the aircraft, Turkish authorities confiscated an
unspecified number of items in the plane's cargo hold that officials
said were being shipped to Syria's Ministry of Defense.
The Turkish government says it is a violation of international and
Turkish law to transport military materials on civilian planes.
The embattled Syrian government denounced the grounding of the
aircraft, calling the incident an example of "air piracy."
On Monday, Turkey's prime minister defended the decision to confiscate
cargo from the Syrian plane.
"These containers that have been taken off the plane, the sender
company is KBP Instrumental Design Bureau," Recep Tayyip Erdogan
announced in a live television broadcast. "The receiver? The Syrian
National Defence Ministry. This material that we confiscated is
without a doubt military equipment. Calling it radar equipment or some
other type of equipment is a deflection."
The English-language website for KBP Instrumental Design Bureau
describes it as a "developer and manufacturer of high-precision
weapons." Headquartered in Tula, Russia, the company advertises itself
as a manufacturer of rocket systems, tanks, artillery, and short-range
air defense systems.
In the wake of the search and confiscation of the Syrian plane cargo,
both Turkey and Syria have closed their airspace to each others'
aircraft.
Read more: New Syrian flashpoint erupts; Turkey releases Syrian plane
The once intimate relationship between the Turkish and Syrian
governments is one of the many casualties of the Syrian civil war.
Since Syrian security forces first began attacking anti-government
protests in March 2011, Turkey and Syria have gone from lifting visa
restrictions on each other's citizens and holding joint Cabinet
meetings to routinely denouncing each other.
Turkey's prime minister has backed the Syrian opposition and provided
a staging ground for rebels, while repeatedly calling on Syria's
president to step down.
Read more: U.N. still has no plan for Syria
Damascus has accused the Turkish government of arming and funding "terrorists."
Both countries have frozen diplomatic ties. This month, escalating
tensions flared yet again, when Syrian artillery killed two women and
three children in the Turkish border town of Akcakale. Since then,
Turkey and Syria have repeatedly engaged in artillery duels along the
900-kilometer (560-mile) border dividing the two countries.
On Monday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced more than 100,000
refugees had now fled Syria to take shelter in Turkish refugee camps.
But over the weekend, a new kind of "refugee" fled to Turkey.
Read more: Syria's attack on Turkish plane could ignite conflict
Turkey's Foreign Ministry confirmed to CNN Turkish media reports that
at least 12 Syrian soldiers, running away from clashes with Syrian
rebels, escaped across the border and surrendered to Turkish border
guards.
"They swam through the Orontes River," said a Turkish government
official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized
to discuss border security with the media. The Orontes makes up part
of the border between Turkey and Syria.
"Some of the soldiers are wounded and are being treated in hospital.
They left their weapons in Syria," the Turkish official continued.
Unlike thousands of other soldiers and officers who have defected from
the Syrian armed forces throughout the 19-month conflict, the Turkish
official said the 12 new arrivals did not appear to be deserting the
military.
"They wanted to escape from the fighting," he said, adding that the 12
Syrian troops were being kept at a separate location from other camps
housing refugees and defectors.
October 15, 2012 Monday 2:36 PM EST
Turkey allows cargo to depart after Armenian plane searched
By Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz, CNN
Istanbul
For the second time in a week, Turkish officials searched a civilian
airplane headed to Syria in what appears to be the enforcement of a
new Turkish air blockade against the Syrian government.
Armenian and Turkish diplomats confirmed to CNN that an Armenian cargo
plane destined for the battle-scarred Syrian city of Aleppo stopped
first in the Turkish city of Erzurum for an inspection of its cargo
Monday morning.
Also on Monday, the European Union added to Syria's growing isolation
by announcing a 19th round of sanctions against the regime. One of the
punitive measures bans Syrian Arab Airlines planes from all European
Union airports.
"This comes in addition to an existing ban on Syrian cargo flights,"
the EU Council announced in a news release.
The Armenian cargo was eventually allowed to fly on to Syria after
remaining grounded and searched in Turkey for at least five hours.
Read more: Report: Turkey diverting civilian planes to avoid Syrian airspace
Unlike last week's unexpected grounding of a Syrian passenger plane
flying from Moscow to Damascus, the inspection of the Armenian
airplane appeared to have been agreed upon ahead of time by Armenian
and Turkish authorities.
"The plane is transporting humanitarian aid to Syria and its stop in
Turkey was planned," Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran
Balayan wrote in an e-mail to CNN before the cargo was allowed to
leave.
"An Armenian civilian cargo aircraft requested overflight permission
from Yerevan to Aleppo," explained Selcuk Unal, a spokesman for
Turkey's Foreign Ministry.
"We provided a license for use of our airspace provided they first
make a 'technical landing.' "
Read more: Turkey to Syria: Don't send arms through our air space
"We are exercising our sovereign right," Unal added.
Last Wednesday, Turkey made a conspicuous show of force, dispatching
F-16 warplanes to escort the Syrian passenger plane headed from Moscow
to Damascus to an unplanned stop in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
After a search of the aircraft, Turkish authorities confiscated an
unspecified number of items in the plane's cargo hold that officials
said were being shipped to Syria's Ministry of Defense.
The Turkish government says it is a violation of international and
Turkish law to transport military materials on civilian planes.
The embattled Syrian government denounced the grounding of the
aircraft, calling the incident an example of "air piracy."
On Monday, Turkey's prime minister defended the decision to confiscate
cargo from the Syrian plane.
"These containers that have been taken off the plane, the sender
company is KBP Instrumental Design Bureau," Recep Tayyip Erdogan
announced in a live television broadcast. "The receiver? The Syrian
National Defence Ministry. This material that we confiscated is
without a doubt military equipment. Calling it radar equipment or some
other type of equipment is a deflection."
The English-language website for KBP Instrumental Design Bureau
describes it as a "developer and manufacturer of high-precision
weapons." Headquartered in Tula, Russia, the company advertises itself
as a manufacturer of rocket systems, tanks, artillery, and short-range
air defense systems.
In the wake of the search and confiscation of the Syrian plane cargo,
both Turkey and Syria have closed their airspace to each others'
aircraft.
Read more: New Syrian flashpoint erupts; Turkey releases Syrian plane
The once intimate relationship between the Turkish and Syrian
governments is one of the many casualties of the Syrian civil war.
Since Syrian security forces first began attacking anti-government
protests in March 2011, Turkey and Syria have gone from lifting visa
restrictions on each other's citizens and holding joint Cabinet
meetings to routinely denouncing each other.
Turkey's prime minister has backed the Syrian opposition and provided
a staging ground for rebels, while repeatedly calling on Syria's
president to step down.
Read more: U.N. still has no plan for Syria
Damascus has accused the Turkish government of arming and funding "terrorists."
Both countries have frozen diplomatic ties. This month, escalating
tensions flared yet again, when Syrian artillery killed two women and
three children in the Turkish border town of Akcakale. Since then,
Turkey and Syria have repeatedly engaged in artillery duels along the
900-kilometer (560-mile) border dividing the two countries.
On Monday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced more than 100,000
refugees had now fled Syria to take shelter in Turkish refugee camps.
But over the weekend, a new kind of "refugee" fled to Turkey.
Read more: Syria's attack on Turkish plane could ignite conflict
Turkey's Foreign Ministry confirmed to CNN Turkish media reports that
at least 12 Syrian soldiers, running away from clashes with Syrian
rebels, escaped across the border and surrendered to Turkish border
guards.
"They swam through the Orontes River," said a Turkish government
official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized
to discuss border security with the media. The Orontes makes up part
of the border between Turkey and Syria.
"Some of the soldiers are wounded and are being treated in hospital.
They left their weapons in Syria," the Turkish official continued.
Unlike thousands of other soldiers and officers who have defected from
the Syrian armed forces throughout the 19-month conflict, the Turkish
official said the 12 new arrivals did not appear to be deserting the
military.
"They wanted to escape from the fighting," he said, adding that the 12
Syrian troops were being kept at a separate location from other camps
housing refugees and defectors.