- Title: TURKEY-SYRIA/CABINET Turkish cabinet meets on Syria.
- Date: 25th June 2012
- Summary: PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT Turkey's government meets to discuss a response to Syria's shooting down of a Turkish figther jet. SHOWS: HATAY, TURKEY (JUNE 25, 2012) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. TURKISH COASTGUARD SHIP DOCKED IN PORT 2. VARIOUS OF SAILORS AND COATGUARD SHIP 3. RUBBER BOAT IN WATER ANKARA, TURKEY (J
- Embargoed: 10th July 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Turkey
- Country: Turkey
- Reuters ID: LVADVR3QS5UPF7LNS8RJYCY22JSB
- Story Text: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan chaired a cabinet meeting in Ankara on Monday (June 25) to discuss Syria's downing of a Turkish warplane that violated Syrian airspace.
In Istanbul, the commander of Turkish air forces Mehmet Erten briefed President Abdullah Gul on the latest developments about the incident as search and rescue operations for missing pilots and jet wreckage were underway.
Turkey has summoned a NATO meeting for Tuesday (June 26) to consult its allies and agree on a response to the downing of its military reconnaissance jet in what it says was an attack without warning in international airspace.
The incident lent a more menacing international dimension to the 16-month-old uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Britain said it could press for more serious action at the United Nations Security Council.
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg called for a calm response from Turkey, saying they would increase pressure on Assad.
Turkey says its F4 Phantom reconnaissance jet was engaged in testing the domestic Turkish radar system when it entered Syrian airspace by mistake. But Ankara is adamant it was firmly back over international waters when it was attacked without warning.
Syria says the Turkish jet was flying at an altitude of 100 metres inside Syrian airspace in what was "a clear breach of Syrian sovereignty".
Turkey denies the jet mission had anything to do with the situation in Syria. The two countries initially cooperated in the search for the aircrew and wreckage in what appeared to be a deliberate strategy to avoid further escalation.
The Phantom's two crewmen are missing. The wreckage of their plane is lying in deep water off the Mediterranean coast.
Ankara says the aircraft was clearly marked as Turkish and Syrian claims that they did not know its nationality when they fired were not convincing.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None