Turkey, US planning Syria no-fly zone: Russian secretary
From online dispatches
Hürriyet photo.
NATO and Gulf countries are trying to go from indirect meddling in Syria's internal affairs to a direct military intervention, Russia’s National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said today.Patrushev assessed the situation in the Middle East in an interview with Interfax agency, the website of the Voice of Russia reported.
Patrushev said Turkey and the United States were planning to create a no-fly zone in Syria to secure a base for the country’s opposition. According to Patrushev, Turkey, which had "excellent" relations with Syria until recently, is vying for influence in the Middle East with Iran.
The reason for a military intervention in Syria would be Damascus’ close ties with Tehran, Patrushev said, and not the crackdown on the opposition by the Bashar al-Assad regime.
"The West fears that weapons and ammunition go through Syria to Iran, Lebanon and the Hezbollah," Patrushev said.
Another reason for a military operation into Syria would be to punish the Syrian state for being the only country that supports Iran in the region. "It was the only country that gave a hand to Iran during the war with Iraq," says Patrushev.
