Turkey to NATO: Syria Attacked Us All

Turkish officials push alliance to discuss Syrian violence
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2012 3:00 PM CDT
Turkey to NATO: Syria Attacked Us All
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives at the Prime Ministry building to lead a cabinet meeting in Ankara on June 25, 2012.   (Getty Images)

Turkey's message to NATO: We were all attacked this weekend. Turkey said today it will tell the military alliance that Syria's downing of a Turkish jet constitutes an attack on all NATO countries under article 5 of its treaty, the AP reports. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc made the announcement the night before NATO's governing body is scheduled to discuss the attack. "They shot down a plane over international waters, and this is unacceptable," a Turkish official told the Washington Post.

NATO is unlikely to intervene over the incident, but still, this puts Syria on NATO's agenda for the first time since the uprising started. Hillary Clinton has called the attack “a brazen and unacceptable act," and said she's working with allies to consider more steps against Syria. And military action is becoming more possible now, says one analyst: "Whereas a few days ago a military option was not on the cards, now it will be discussed in a way it hasn’t been for the past year and a half." (More Turkey stories.)

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