Tensions Rising Between Syria and Turkey

THE Syrian conflict has always had the potential to escalate into a regional conflagration, and recent events have taken a worrying turn in that direction. The Turkish parliament on Thursday authorised military action against Syria for upto a year after five Turks were killed, reportedly by cross-border Syrian shelling. Ankara has responded with shelling of its own. Relations between the neighbours have been frosty ever since the Syrian uprising began last year; in June the Syrians shot down a Turkish surveillance aircraft over the Mediterranean while Syria blames the Turks for hosting rebels. Analysts nevertheless take comfort from the fact that neither Ankara nor Damascus has gone beyond what was expected; the Syrians struck a conciliatory tone while Turkey has said the parliament’s move is not a declaration of war. There have also been anti-war demonstrations in Turkey. Meanwhile, the UN and international players have urged restraint; showing rare unanimity over Syria, the Security Council condemned the Syrian shelling in ‘the strongest terms’.