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| NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmuseen speaks during a media conference, he says alliance is prepared to defence Turkey against Syrian attack [Image: NATO] |
Brussels, Belgium: Stressing that it
is up to the United Nations Security Council to take action needed to end the
bloodshed in Syria but NATO is ready to defend Turkey against attacks from Syria if necessary,
said international alliance’s secretary general.
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance is prepared
to act, but he hopes it will not have to do so.
Rasmussen says NATO defense ministers did not discuss the situation in
Syria or the tension on its border with Turkey Tuesday, during the first day of
a two-day meeting.
But he says it is up to the United Nations Security Council to take whatever
action is necessary to try to force the Syrian government to work toward a
peaceful resolution of the conflict.
“I strongly regret that so far the Security Council has failed in
finding an agreement on a legally-binding resolution that could send such a
strong message to the Syrian leadership,” said Rasmussen.
Russia and China have blocked any Security Council call for the use of
force.
The more than year-long Syrian conflict has spilled over into
NATO-member Turkey in recent days, with artillery shells landing on the Turkish
side of the border and causing casualties.
Syria says its forces did not mean to hit Turkey, but the Turkish
military has fired back.
The tension resulted
in an emergency NATO ambassadors' meeting, which expressed solidarity with
Turkey, but officials say there is no immediate plan to do more.
A senior NATO military official said the alliance has sufficient
military power to have a significant impact on the Syria conflict, but there
will not be any move unless there is a decision by political leaders to
intervene.