Source: Global Security Newswire, 9 November
Syria's weapons of mass destruction could play a key role in potentially prompting Turkey to pursue placement of NATO antimissile units near the boundary dividing the states, the Xinhua News Agency on Thursday quoted Turkish observers as saying.
Turkey has aired the possibility of asking the alliance to provide Patriot missile interceptors for deployment close to Syrian territory, but the government had yet to formally proposed the move. Ankara could take the step in the future, though, if it judged the chemical and biological warfare stockpiles in its war-torn neighbor to pose a sufficient danger, according to issue watchers.
"There are some red lines that Turkey may feel propelled to act against Syria, like the deployment of chemical weapons," commentator Idris Gursoy said. "To neutralize threats like these, you need to have strong deterrence capability like Patriot missile defence systems."
Shells and bullets from Syria have fallen on Turkish territory in recent months, prompting return fire. There has also been talk that the Patriots might be used to enforce safe zones within Syria.
Ankara must make arrangements for every contingency in Syria, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Thursday.
"It has been known that Syria has chemical weapons. And we need to take all the precautions," the leader stated.
Turkey housed Patriot interceptors from NATO on two previous occasions over security concerns linked to the conflict in Iraq.
International Strategic and Security Research Center leader Mehmet Seyfettin Erol said "NATO is delivering a message to Syrian backers, mainly Russia and Iran, that it will not tolerate the Syrian crisis to pose a threat to the alliance's security."
"This is perfectly in line with the long-pursued goal of containment policy of NATO against Russia," he said. The expert said a NATO interceptor deployment would address a threat from Syrian anti-air equipment.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday confirmed that the government had not yet asked that the NATO Patriot missiles be deployed, Reuters reported.
"So far there has not been an official request but of course within contingency plans all risks will be considered. An official request has not been made but talks are continuing as part of contingency plans," he said to reporters.
Separately, Ankara is set to expedite a planned $4 billion acquisition of defensive apparatus capable of hitting hostile aerial forces across a wide area, defence specialist Emre Soncan told Xinhua.
"If the purchase goes ahead as planned, Turkey will acquire 13 missile batteries and 72 missiles," Soncan said. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set next month to oversee a gathering expected to reach a determination on the matter, according to the report.
Ankara hopes within 12 months to begin receiving anti-air components for use over extended distances, Today's Zaman on Monday quoted Turkish Undersecretariat for the Defence Industry Undersecretary Murat Bayar as saying.