West anger over jet but military action unlikely
Source: Agencies |
June 26, 2012, Tuesday
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Syria's downing of a Turkish fighter-bomber has the feel of a turning point that could drag Western powers into a conflict that is spiraling out of control.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has vowed to hold Syria to account, while Britain's foreign minister said Damascus won't be allowed to act with impunity.
But for all the hard talk, the prospect of Western military intervention in Syria remains remote.
Military action is unlikely to get the support of either the United Nations Security Council or the Arab League, and outside intervention without the blessing of both of those bodies is all but unthinkable. And there is little appetite among the 28 NATO countries - of which the United States is the largest - for another war in the Middle East.
Libya was hard enough, and for many nervous months it looked as if that conflict might end in an embarrassing stalemate. Syria would be tougher than Libya. Syrian President Bashar Assad's army is better equipped, better trained, better paid and far more loyal than was that of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
So for the moment, despite the increasing violence and the staggering number of deaths, action by the international community seems to be limited to sanctions and strong words.
And so it was yesterday, when foreign ministers from the 27 European Union countries condemned Syria's downing on Friday of the Turkish jet, but said the bloc would not support military action in the troubled country.
"What happened is to be considered very seriously," said Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal. But he added: "We do not go for any interventions."
Jet warned to leave
Turkish officials have said the jet mistakenly strayed into Syrian airspace, but was warned to leave by Turkish authorities and was 1.6 kilometers inside international airspace when Syria shot it down. The Turkish pilots are still missing.
Turkey immediately called a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body, today to discuss the incident. Any NATO member can request such consultations if their territorial integrity has been threatened.
An alliance diplomat said ambassadors will discuss Turkey's concerns - and would likely condemn the downing. "But there won't be anything more specific than that," the diplomat said.
Turkey, too, appeared to be attempting to moderate the situation, trying to balance a response that would assuage domestic outrage over the shooting, while avoiding a conflict.
A Turkish official said the government was trying to ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Syria but it was still working out what steps to take - though they would not include military intervention.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has vowed to hold Syria to account, while Britain's foreign minister said Damascus won't be allowed to act with impunity.
But for all the hard talk, the prospect of Western military intervention in Syria remains remote.
Military action is unlikely to get the support of either the United Nations Security Council or the Arab League, and outside intervention without the blessing of both of those bodies is all but unthinkable. And there is little appetite among the 28 NATO countries - of which the United States is the largest - for another war in the Middle East.
Libya was hard enough, and for many nervous months it looked as if that conflict might end in an embarrassing stalemate. Syria would be tougher than Libya. Syrian President Bashar Assad's army is better equipped, better trained, better paid and far more loyal than was that of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
So for the moment, despite the increasing violence and the staggering number of deaths, action by the international community seems to be limited to sanctions and strong words.
And so it was yesterday, when foreign ministers from the 27 European Union countries condemned Syria's downing on Friday of the Turkish jet, but said the bloc would not support military action in the troubled country.
"What happened is to be considered very seriously," said Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal. But he added: "We do not go for any interventions."
Jet warned to leave
Turkish officials have said the jet mistakenly strayed into Syrian airspace, but was warned to leave by Turkish authorities and was 1.6 kilometers inside international airspace when Syria shot it down. The Turkish pilots are still missing.
Turkey immediately called a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body, today to discuss the incident. Any NATO member can request such consultations if their territorial integrity has been threatened.
An alliance diplomat said ambassadors will discuss Turkey's concerns - and would likely condemn the downing. "But there won't be anything more specific than that," the diplomat said.
Turkey, too, appeared to be attempting to moderate the situation, trying to balance a response that would assuage domestic outrage over the shooting, while avoiding a conflict.
A Turkish official said the government was trying to ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Syria but it was still working out what steps to take - though they would not include military intervention.
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