By Roy Gutmanm, McClatchy Newspapers –
ISTANBUL — Turkey on Sunday called for a meeting of its NATO allies after charging that Syria shot down a Turkish F4 Phantom jet Friday over international waters without any warning.
Both the United States and Great Britain denounced Syria in response to the new Turkish details, and the North Atlantic Council set a meeting for meeting for Tuesday under the NATO treaty, under which any party can call for consultations if it feels its territory or security is threatened. The meeting, however, falls well short of calling for military support.
A Turkish spokesman said Turkey would use the meeting to brief NATO allies and exchange information. He said Ankara reserves the right to respond to the Syrian action at a time and manner of its choosing. A NATO spokesman said the alliance would consult on the incident and decide if further steps are appropriate.
William Hague, the British foreign secretary, condemned “this outrageous act,” and said it demonstrated the need to replace President Bashar Assad, whose government has been besieged by an uprising calling for his resignation since March of last year.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the downing of the plane a “brazen and unacceptable act” and said it was “yet another reflection of the Syrian authorities’ callous disregard for international norms, human life, and peace and security.” She said the United States would work with Turkey “and other partners to hold the Assad regime accountable.”
Syria has claimed that it had brought down the aircraft over Syrian territorial waters Friday after the plane had crossed into Syrian air space. On Saturday Turkey acknowledged that the plane, an Israeli-modified reconnaissance version of the U.S.-built interceptor, had strayed into Syrian air space during a reconnaissance mission.
But on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davitoglu said the unarmed plane, with a crew of two, was fired on after it had left Syrian airspace, and rejected Syria’s claim that it had not known the aircraft belonged to the Turkish air force.
The Turkish military has determined the location of the crash but not yet salvaged the aircraft and is still searching the area for the crew. Syria said it also was searching for the aircraft, but according to Davitoglu, the two sides are operating independently.
