NATO says it is ready to defend alliance member Turkey amid continued cross-border attacks with its neighbor Syria, but Western powers continue to urge calm and avoid escalation.
Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday that Turkey can rely on NATO-backing, and that the alliance has “all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary.”
At the same time, he pressed the two neighbors, who have seen their friendly relationship disappear during Syria’s bloody civil conflict, to show restraint and avoid an outbreak of war.
Turkey and Syria have exchanged artillery fire and shelling across their shared border since last week, when Syrian shells killed five Turkish civilians last week. When it happened, Syria’s Assad regime issued a formal apology, taking full responsibility, and promising it wouldn’t happen again. But Turkey kept up the artillery fire for almost a week after the incident.
Turkey has experienced destabilizing effects from Syria’s conflict, and has even been aiding and arming Syrian rebel fighters trying to overthrow the Syrian regime, which could potentially prompt an outbreak of war.
Ankara may want an escalation in the stand-off with Syria, but there will be no NATO war without US backing. Although the US has been meddling in Syria’s conflict – by sending aid to the rebel fighters and fueling the violence – many in the US still don’t see an outbreak of war in Syria as workable.
The sectarian nature of the conflict brings back very fresh memories of the power vacuum and subsequent descent into chaos that broke out in Iraq. Furthermore, the opposition has elements of extremism and even al-Qaeda in it, and there’s no viable organized opposition for anyone to support.
Half measures like imposing a no-fly zone would also worsen the situation, given Assad’s considerable anti-aircraft capabilities, which are located in urban areas, putting more civilians at risk if the US were to try to take them out. This is also likely to expand the conflict outside Syria’s borders, something even war planners aren’t willing to risk.
Ready to defend Turkey? Is this some sort of sick joke?
May be they know that much US people have no glue of country sizes. They just try it. Iam sure Jason Ditz knows exactly why he had made this headline. He is very clever and knows that many just read the frontpage hadlines. Disinforming antiwar people is a very hard job and he provides it excellently I think.
"I think."
Maybe you do, but based on your comments I wouldn't bet on it.
Why we get here no information like this??:->
October 07, 2012
Syria: False Flag Attacks To Clear A Border Zone
It seems I was wrong in suggesting that Erdogan was made to step back from the brink. The false flag mortar shots from Syria onto Turkish grounds are said to continue. It defies any logic that the Syrian army would do such continues provocations. The Syrian government has no interest in giving Turkey a pretext for using its troops against Syria.
Each time such an unverifiable event happens the Turkish military is now using it (Dutch video report) to hold down Syrian army units with its artillery while the foreign sponsored insurgents take this or that town or army position.
This all together looks like a coordinated plan to push the Syrian army out of the border region with Turkey and to establish a zone there that the rebels can control and use for training and rest. It is Erdogan's solution for the increasing problem those insurgents create for him on the Turkish side of the border.
It is also an escalation that deserves a response.
Posted by b on October 7, 2012 at 11:50 AM | Permalink: http://www.moonofalabama.org/2012/10/syria-false-…
foggy's acid supply has not run out
Glaser:
You're just flat out wrong when you claim:
"Syria’s Assad regime issued a formal apology, taking full responsibility, and promising it wouldn't happen again." (with respect to the alleged 'shelling' of Turkey)….
This alleged assumption of "responsibility", and subsequent 'formal apology' as a result of being 'responsible', supposedly 'issued' by the Nation of Syria for the original 'shelling' in Turkey last week, simply did not happen…
I'll repeat: Syria did not assume "full responsibility" (or any for that matter) for the 'shell' which "killed five Turkish civilians last week"…
I even mocked this 'claim' in the comments section of the original 'article' (your article) that you site in this post…
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/10/04/syria-formally…
I also predicted this current 'situation' when it started; despite the prognostications of your partner Ditz (see comments)…
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/10/04/turkish-pm-dee…
"Reporting" on the 'Syria situation' needs dramatic improvement–all around–if 'credibility' is to be taken seriously…at least I would think so….
What exactly are you getting at here? No need to use scare quotes in abundance. You are saying that Turkey is working toward igniting a conflict with Syria. Maybe. They could speculate on taking over someterritory "for protection", but I'm sure the people in charge know that if they do that, blowback might well be eminently serious. So, what's the interest here?
> Syria did not assume "full responsibility" (or any for that matter) for the 'shell' which "killed five Turkish civilians last week"…
I see. What you refer to would be:
http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=1…
So, a Turkish official issues a statement about a non-existent apology. May be a simple mistake. Or may be an effort to de-escalate. Who knows?
There was no 'mistake' and this was not an effort to 'de-escalate':
"Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations Security Council Bashar Al-Jafari told the El-Nashra website on Thursday that the Syrian government had not send any apology letter to the Turkish government.
His assertion contradicted the claim of the Turkish deputy Prime Minister, Besir Atalay that Syria “has admitted it was responsible for the shelling that killed five civilians on Turkish soil and has apologised”. Mr. Atalay had further added that Syria had given an assurance that “such an incident would not be repeated".
….
Mr. Jafari asserted that “the Syrian government is working on investigating the accident and not on apologising”. He alluded to the official statement issued by the Syrian information minister Omran Al- Zoabi, which did not include any apology. He also read out a letter to reporters in New York, which urged Turkey and its other neighbours to "act wisely, rationally and responsibly" and to prevent cross-border infiltration of "terrorists and insurgents" and the smuggling of arms, the Associated Press reported.
…We have waited one year and eight months for the Turkish government to present an apology over its acts in Syria. It is a tragic development that a Turkish woman was killed with her three children, and we sympathise with that with all what it takes because she is an innocent Turkish citizen”.
…“in that region there are many groups that are interested in creating conflict between Syria and Turkey”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/syria-…
……
If you don't understand what's going on here, it's probably not worth explaining…
It is hard to work up much sympathy for Turkey here. Turkey is far larger and more powerful than Syria, and Turkey made the decision to get involved in Syria's civil war on the side of the rebels. Basically, they poked the hornet's nest until they got stung.
The turkish president is licking america and the EU A…ESS puting himself where Gadaffi ended trying unsucessfully to goad Syria into open conflict the airplane incident now the shelling for more than a week shows the world that edorgan has become a yankee puppet.
Turkey don't need NATO to defend her borders ,…
But the US needs NATO to "defend" Turkish borders. That's the casus belli that gets Uncle Shmuel's nose under the Syrian tent, so he can openly intervene and configure the outcome.
The hypocrisy in this situation is monumental. and unfortunately the presstitutes of the MSM are still failing to call it. How crass is for Turkey to be an active and open supply route for belligerents to ones neighbour then cry foul when a mortar – not "shelling" lands on one of those border villages from the nearby fighting…
Interesting also that only RT is reporting the antiwar demonstrations in Turkish cities that have erupted in the face of this turkish belligerence.
NATO ready to defend Turkey – as I said here in case of Turkey's plane "shot down" by Syrian forces, these situations show clearly why Russia can not accept NATO member as its neighbor. Any idiot can provoke easily Russia – NATO conflict as it is probably a case in Turkey – Syria cross-border conflict.
For months now we had been told how rebels purged government of Syria from its northern territories and how they are actually setting new governmental basic services there. Suddenly some idiot shells Turkey village from within of "liberated" territories and Turkey blaimes Assad's army purged from those territories few months ago with Turkey's help.
Now NATO and US can bypass UN Security Council altogether to invade Syria and depose Assad's government by direct military power when their proxies in Syria can not do it.
Good to know that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will be protecting the North Atlantic from…wait a minute…WTF?
"urged calm to avoid war"…. I suppose that Mr Rasmussen and his comrades do know very well, that not the regular syrian army is responsible but probably their own fundamentalist (whom they fight in Iraq and Afghanistan on the other hand) allies ("rebels" or even some agents of a certain "democracy" there) shot and shell Turkey to get NATO involved in this war.
NATO Chief Says Ready really says that NATO is ready fight wars for Israel ….and that will only increase "horror situacion" in ME. Israel is happy again…Israel can now concentrate on planed Lebanon, Gaza massacres…Unfortunaly noble idea after WW2 and creation of place called Israel was the biggest mistake UN made in modern history. Mankind will dearly regret in near future that decision….Who could on Eart expect what monsterous regime will emerge in ME, how Evil will Internacional Zionism became?…Only lies, wars,destruction, murder, terrorism and weapons trade marks this period of Human history and future historians…/if somebody survives/ ..will only marvel on "Our days" when : Waging wars was waging peace, when mass killing was bringing democracy, when greed was sign of succes,etc… George Orwell 1984 in making peter czech
What sort of article is this for [B]anti[/B]war.com? Who do you think you are fooling?
What a war mongering headline of an so-called antiwar website: "NATO Ready to Defend Turkey Against Syria" (frontpage headline). This seems to be the brainwash department for the US antiwar move and this article headline claims "skirmishes with Syria" while Syria does not know anything about involvement of his troops and is just investigating if really one of her soldiers did provide any shot.
How desperately NATO is seeking for war reasons, when they are trying such total nonsense hyper absurd reasons. The mouse is attacking an elephant?
There are a lot of dumb people, but they are not so dumb than headline makers of war mongering media.
Take a few more english language classes and then come back and post, because you sound like a shill for the Sunni Death Squads.
When "Secretary General Rasmussen urged calm to avoid an outbreak of war" this means that they are in-midst to do anything to start the war. Everything and any published word in this series of "wars against former soviet client states" is professionally planned by the army, secret services, media and public relations consultants. I am quite sure that even this website can be regarded as special brainwash service for the US antiwar movement.
What does the 'Israeli Government' "think" about all of this (not that I care…just curious)???
(Reuters) – Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said on Thursday a deadly Syrian mortar strike on a Turkish town had to be considered an attack on a member of the NATO alliance.
"The alliance with Iran is extremely worrying (for us). Iran on one side, Hezbollah on the other, with Syria in the middle. For us, it's very important that this unholy alliance is broken," Meridor said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/04/us-syri…
Shock and Awe…Shock and Awe…
I thought the Israeli Government was an indifferent 3rd party objective observer to all of this…as they (the Israeli Government) have not deployed Bibi's mouth to unload on this 'situation' in Syria…
Perhaps Mr. Meridor was speaking for himself personally; rather than speaking on an official capacity for the Israeli Government…the 'royal' "we"…who knows? What are the odds???
I think the main point is that: 'Turkey' is way out on their own on all of this 'unpleasantness' here with respect to 'Syria'…ignoring NATO's assurance of 'plans', etc….
Since Turkey is obviously acting independently as a "crazy hot head" Nation, surely the "voice of reason", courage, and 'integrity, Mr. Barack Obama, will no doubt talk 'sense' into the Nation of Turkey so they'll (the Nation of Turkey) realize the error of their ways and 'cool down' from their unilateral, and obviously 'irrational' and unplanned, 'blow up' (after 20 months) here…
As I've said repeatedly here, the goal is to degrade Syria's military capability so that Israel can attack Hizballah in Lebanon through Syrian territory without worrying about engaging Syrian forces to any significant degree. The ultimate goal is to enable Israel to have a "cheap war" with Iran without having to worry about Iranian missiles, Syrian missiles AND Hizballah missiles.
Turkey is the stalking horse here. The West can't get a UNSC Resolution authorizing war because Russia and China know what's up and they're blocking it. But the West CAN get a NATO resolution authorizing war and bypass the UNSC completely. Turkey, as a NATO member, is perfectly positioned to enable this by setting up "false flag" attacks on its own people – and ignoring the fact that some of these attacks are likely by the Syrian insurgents themselves – to justify increased military aggression against Syria.
I stand by my predictions: There will be a US/NATO/Turkey war against Syria by end of this year or early next year, followed by an Israeli attack on Lebanon (false flag provocations such as the drone incursion are clearly being set up now) to be followed by an attack on Iran – or a naval blockade by the West against Iran – once the Syrian/Lebanon situations are resolved.
And I agree that Syria did not apologize for the initial shelling. That's clear from the Syrian statements.