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Agence France Presse
October 15, 2012 Monday 7:03 PM GMT
Ankara insists intercepted Syrian plane carried "war equipment"
ANKARA, Oct 15 2012
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Monday that
the cargo Ankara confiscated from an intercepted Syrian plane
contained weapons, shrugging off Russian claims that the plane carried
legal radar equipment.
"It is beyond any doubt that the cargo is war equipment," Erdogan told
reporters in Ankara.
The Syrian Air passenger plane en route from Moscow to Damascus was
forced by Turkish jets to land in Ankara last Wednesday, reportedly
upon intelligence that the civilian plane carried military cargo.
After grounding the plane for nine hours, Ankara announced it seized
"objectionable" cargo aboard the plane, triggering a furious reaction
from Damascus and its main ally, Moscow.
"There is no point in diverting and saying it is radar equipment,"
said Erdogan, in an apparent reference to Russia's claims that the
plane carried dual-purpose radar equipment which it said was not
banned by international conventions.
"Radar equipment functions as war equipment anyway," he added.
Damascus denied the aircraft had any illegal load, challenging Ankara
to display the cargo it seized and asking for the return of the
confiscated goods.
The premier also clarified that he ordered authorities to close
Turkish airspace to Syrian flights "immediately after" Wednesday's
interception.
"I also gave my orders to Turkish Airlines not to use Syrian airspace
for civil aviation, and asked them to notify others," Erdogan said.
In return, Syria announced it was banning Turkish planes from its
airspace, effective from Saturday midnight, "in accordance with the
principle of reciprocity," according to SANA state news agency.
Turkey's ban on Syrian flights was first publicised by Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday, who said the ban went into effect
a day before.
Last Thursday, Erdogan said the cargo was military equipment being
shipped from a Russian producer to the Syrian Defence Ministry, in
breach of rules of civil aviation.
Ankara has taken an increasingly strident line towards its southern
neighbour since a shell fired from the Syrian side of the border
killed five Turks on October 3.
It has since repeatedly retaliated for cross-border fire, prompting
growing UN concern and a flurry of diplomatic contacts.
Earlier on Monday, Ankara ordered an Armenian humanitarian aid plane
headed for Syria's Aleppo to land for routine security checks. The
plane resumed its journey through Turkish airspace later Monday after
it got Ankara's clearance.
October 15, 2012 Monday 7:03 PM GMT
Ankara insists intercepted Syrian plane carried "war equipment"
ANKARA, Oct 15 2012
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Monday that
the cargo Ankara confiscated from an intercepted Syrian plane
contained weapons, shrugging off Russian claims that the plane carried
legal radar equipment.
"It is beyond any doubt that the cargo is war equipment," Erdogan told
reporters in Ankara.
The Syrian Air passenger plane en route from Moscow to Damascus was
forced by Turkish jets to land in Ankara last Wednesday, reportedly
upon intelligence that the civilian plane carried military cargo.
After grounding the plane for nine hours, Ankara announced it seized
"objectionable" cargo aboard the plane, triggering a furious reaction
from Damascus and its main ally, Moscow.
"There is no point in diverting and saying it is radar equipment,"
said Erdogan, in an apparent reference to Russia's claims that the
plane carried dual-purpose radar equipment which it said was not
banned by international conventions.
"Radar equipment functions as war equipment anyway," he added.
Damascus denied the aircraft had any illegal load, challenging Ankara
to display the cargo it seized and asking for the return of the
confiscated goods.
The premier also clarified that he ordered authorities to close
Turkish airspace to Syrian flights "immediately after" Wednesday's
interception.
"I also gave my orders to Turkish Airlines not to use Syrian airspace
for civil aviation, and asked them to notify others," Erdogan said.
In return, Syria announced it was banning Turkish planes from its
airspace, effective from Saturday midnight, "in accordance with the
principle of reciprocity," according to SANA state news agency.
Turkey's ban on Syrian flights was first publicised by Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday, who said the ban went into effect
a day before.
Last Thursday, Erdogan said the cargo was military equipment being
shipped from a Russian producer to the Syrian Defence Ministry, in
breach of rules of civil aviation.
Ankara has taken an increasingly strident line towards its southern
neighbour since a shell fired from the Syrian side of the border
killed five Turks on October 3.
It has since repeatedly retaliated for cross-border fire, prompting
growing UN concern and a flurry of diplomatic contacts.
Earlier on Monday, Ankara ordered an Armenian humanitarian aid plane
headed for Syria's Aleppo to land for routine security checks. The
plane resumed its journey through Turkish airspace later Monday after
it got Ankara's clearance.