NATO condemns Syria for shooting down Turkish jet

NATO member states condemned Syria on Tuesday for its shooting down of a Turkish military jet, calling it “unacceptable” and demanding that Damascus take steps to prevent further incidents.

Ambassadors of NATO’s 28 member states met in Brussels on Tuesday to consult with Turkey on the incident. Turkey, a NATO member, had called for the meeting.

“NATO allies have expressed strong condemnation of this completely unacceptable act,” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after the gathering.

Rasmussen said NATO security was “indivisible”, but he said NATO’s Article 5, which calls for member states to see an attack on one country as an attack on all the alliance’s members, had not been discussed.

“We stand together with Turkey in spirit of solidarity,” he said.

As Rasmussen also confirmed, the discussions was held under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which allows a NATO member, in this case Turkey, to request consultations if its security has been threatened. <Cihan>

news@theasian.asia