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Agence France Presse
October 15, 2012 Monday 11:14 PM GMT
US urges Syria's neighbors to survey airspace
WASHINGTON, Oct 15 2012
The United States on Monday called on all Syria's neighbors to keep a
careful watch over their airspace, after Turkey said it had
intercepted a Syrian plane from Russia carrying military equipment.
"Certainly we support the decision that Turkey has made in light of
the apparent violation of their airspace by this aircraft," State
Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.
"We are encouraging all of Syria's neighbors to be vigilant with
regard to how their airspace is used, particularly now that we have
this concrete example."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Monday that
the cargo Ankara confiscated from the intercepted Syrian passenger jet
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 plane traveling 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.
Nuland stressed however that Turkey was "open to granting humanitarian
exceptions" as the conflict in Syria to topple autocratic leader
President Bashar al-Assad enters its 20th month, having claimed some
33,000 lives.
Ankara recently "granted approval for an Armenian flight... to overfly
Turkey on the condition that it would land and be inspected. It was.
It was confirmed to be humanitarian supplies, and they were allowed to
go on to Syria," Nuland said.
"So the Turks, from our perspective, are taking a measured and
appropriate posture with regard to these things."
From: A. Papazian
October 15, 2012 Monday 11:14 PM GMT
US urges Syria's neighbors to survey airspace
WASHINGTON, Oct 15 2012
The United States on Monday called on all Syria's neighbors to keep a
careful watch over their airspace, after Turkey said it had
intercepted a Syrian plane from Russia carrying military equipment.
"Certainly we support the decision that Turkey has made in light of
the apparent violation of their airspace by this aircraft," State
Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.
"We are encouraging all of Syria's neighbors to be vigilant with
regard to how their airspace is used, particularly now that we have
this concrete example."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Monday that
the cargo Ankara confiscated from the intercepted Syrian passenger jet
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 plane traveling 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.
Nuland stressed however that Turkey was "open to granting humanitarian
exceptions" as the conflict in Syria to topple autocratic leader
President Bashar al-Assad enters its 20th month, having claimed some
33,000 lives.
Ankara recently "granted approval for an Armenian flight... to overfly
Turkey on the condition that it would land and be inspected. It was.
It was confirmed to be humanitarian supplies, and they were allowed to
go on to Syria," Nuland said.
"So the Turks, from our perspective, are taking a measured and
appropriate posture with regard to these things."
From: A. Papazian