Turkish fighter jet shot down near Syria (update7)

(BRUSSELS2) The message from the Turkish General Staff published on Friday (June 22) at the beginning of the afternoon (at 14 p.m.) is laconic. " A fighter jet took off from Malatya / Erhac (*) airport at 10:30 a.m. Radio contact was lost at sea southwest of Hatay province à 11h ". A region bordering Syria whose capital is a famous city... Antioch (Antalya). " Search and rescue efforts began immediately ". The proximity of the place of disappearance with the Syrian border, left inclined the implication of Syria. This could be confirmed soon. The plane shot down is an F-4 (aka Phantom).

Two frigates (Mersin, Iskenderun) and a Coast Guard boat move to the suspected crash area, near Ral El Basit. Several helicopters were also deployed. A crisis council has been convened by Prime Minister Erdogan. The incident is all the more serious as it affects a NATO country. The 27 EU ministers were due to hold a discussion on Monday morning (June 25) on Syria. The course of this discussion could thus change quickly depending on the news that will be announced in the hours or days that follow.

Prime Minister blames Syria

(Updated Fri 23:30 p.m.) At the end of the Crisis Council, Prime Minister Erdogan specified that in all likelihood, the plane had been shot down “ by Syria ". However, the Prime Minister did not want to answer what these planes were doing over Syrian territorial waters: “ we do not have precise information on this subject he said in response to a reporter. The Turks confirm, however, that the plane was 8 miles from the Syrian coast (therefore in territorial waters). Syria, for its part, confirmed that it had shot down a Turkish plane over its territorial waters, according to local media taken up by AFP.

(Maj Sat 19 p.m.) But on both sides of the border, we are trying not to aggravate the situation. Thus the Turkish Prime Minister refused to indicate the "measures" he intended to take thereafter. On the side of NATO, we prefer to display a certain caution, explaining that there was no referral to Turkey. And in Syria, we prefer to speak of an accident than an attack. Moreover, the Syrian and Turkish navies are coordinating their efforts to search for the two missing pilots at sea.

NATO meeting convened

(Maj Sun 14 p.m.) Turkey raised their voices on Sunday morning. The wreckage of the plane was located at least 1000 meters deep "in international waters" according to Turkey. And if the plane flew over Syrian waters for a moment, it was unarmed and was not acting as part of an act hostile to Syria but to test a new Turkish radar. No warning has - it seems - been sent to the pilots of the plane, says one in Turkey. The country seized the Atlantic Alliance. A meeting is due to take place on Tuesday (June 26) at ambassadorial level, under the aegis of Article 4 of the Atlantic Alliance Treaty. Article which provides for consultations “ whenever, in the opinion of one of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of one of the parties will be threatened”. An intermediate level before Article 5 which provides for a reaction.

(Maj Sun 18 p.m.) Turkey has sent a "diplomatic note" to Syria asking for clarification. " We condemn the destruction of our plane and ask you to find the perpetrators of this incident and keep us informed. specifies the note according to the daily Hurriyet. " Turkey reserves the right to request an official apology and compensation”

Reactions

The Foreign Office (UK) reacted harshly through William Hague. " This outrageous act highlights how well the behavior of the Syrian regime goes beyond what is acceptable and I condemn (this act) unreservedly.. » Read the press release here. Guido Westerwelle, the German Foreign Minister, said he was "dismayed" by this incident, asking urgently for a " thorough investigation but also welcoming Turkey's cold-blooded reaction. In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon called on both sides to " detention ».

(Maj Monday 15 p.m. in Luxembourg) The European Union did not react immediately. But on Monday at the Council of Foreign Ministers, she " condemned » the destruction of the Turkish plane judging it “unacceptable by Syria”, offered all “his sympathy to the families of the airmen involved "And" happiness Turkey for its "measured and responsible initial reaction". The European Union calls for a thorough and urgent investigation and asked Syria to cooperate fully with Turkey to allow full access to an investigation” and the international community "to lend its support to these efforts". The EU urges Syria to “ensure that it complies with international standards and obligations”. For Laurent Fabius, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, who held a press conference on the sidelines of the Council, it is a "totally unacceptable gesture that France condemns, insofar as this plane was unarmed and there was no prior warning".

Read also about desertions in the Syrian army: separate article, see here

(*) in central Turkey