Turkish Politics: How Will Turkey React to the Syrian Downing of Their Unarmed Plane?
TURKEY has long hinted at military intervention over the unremitting slaughter of Syrian civilians at the hands of the forces of Bashar Assad, Syria’s president. Will Turkey actually act on its threats? The question gained fresh urgency on Friday after Syrian forces shot down a Turkish fighter jet.
Turkey says the unarmed plane was on a training mission when it was struck by Syrian anti-aircraft weapons in international airspace without prior warning. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkey’s foreign minister, said the F-4 Phantom had briefly strayed into Syrian airspace but that it was hit 15 minutes later “in international airspace, 13 nautical miles out of Syria, when Syrian territorial space is 12 miles.”
Mr Davutoğlu ridiculed Syria’s claims that it had not known the plane was Turkish saying Turkey had intercepted exchanges between Syrian officials that belied such denials. He called the downing of the plane an unprovoked and hostile act. “Our response will be strong, decisive and in keeping with international law” said Ibrahim Kalın, a top foreign policy advisor to Turkey’s prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He declined to elaborate.