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              Turkish Cabinet to Discuss Syrian Attack Against Jet

   by VOA News

   Turkey's Cabinet is to discuss the downing of a Turkish military jet
   last week by Syria, while Western diplomats continue their condemnation
   of the attack.
   The Cabinet meeting Monday comes a day before NATO ambassadors are
   scheduled to hold consultations requested by Turkey, under the
   alliance's founding treaty, which commits all members to protect one
   another's security and borders.
   Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers met in Luxembourg, where EU
   policy chief Catherine Ashton said she expected a "big discussion"
   about the attack.
   "We are very concerned about what has happened and very concerned for
   the family of the two pilots who are missing," said Ashton. "And we
   will be obviously looking to Turkey to be restrained in its response."
   China's foreign ministry gave a similar call for restraint.
   British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he "absolutely" condemns
   the Friday incident, but that it is not a fundamental shift in the
   situation in Syria.
   "I do not think it illustrates a different phase of the Syrian crisis,"
   said Hague. "I think we continue to be in a great danger of a collapse
   in Syria or of intensifying conflict."
   He said it is important for the European Union to increase its pressure
   on Assad's government.
   Diplomats said the European Union will add a Syrian official as well as
   six companies and other entities to its sanctions list, which already
   includes more than 100 people.
   Australia announced its own new sanctions, adding to its existing arms
   embargo and financial and travel restrictions against those associated
   with the Assad government.  Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr says
   the Syrian government "continues to show its unwillingness to negotiate
   a ceasefire" and end the country's bloodshed.
   Turkey says Syria shot down the jet without warning in international
   airspace, but details of the incident remain unclear.
   Turkey says the jet's two pilots were on an unarmed training mission
   and inadvertently entered Syrian airspace for a brief period before
   leaving and being struck by Syrian fire several minutes later. Syria
   said it fired on the jet because it was flying close to its coast, in
   violation of Syrian airspace.
   Relations between Turkey and Syria have been tense since last year,
   when Ankara began criticizing Assad's deadly crackdown on an opposition
   uprising against his autocratic rule. Syria has criticized Turkey for
   hosting Syrian opposition forces. It accuses Turkish authorities of
   providing weapons and intelligence to the rebels.
   Ankara has promised to take strong, decisive and legitimate action once
   the facts of the incident are known.


   Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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   _against_jet/1246740.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/turkish_cabinet_discuss_syrian_attack_against_jet/1246740.html