Syria no fly zone

Syria crisis: US and Turkey consider no-fly zones

Hillary Clinton says US and Turkish intelligence to examine possibility of flying ban as Syrian and Jordanian troops clash

the Guardian,

11 August, 2012

The United States and Turkey are considering imposing no-fly zones and other steps on Syria to help rebel forces, Hillary Clinton has announced.

The US secretary of state said she and the Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, agreed to examine the possibility of imposing a flying ban, while Turkish media reported that they were also considering creating safe havens within Syria.

"It is one thing to talk about all kinds of potential actions, but you cannot make reasoned decisions without doing intense analysis and operational planning," Clinton said. "Our intelligence services, our military have very important responsibilities and roles to play so we are going to be setting up a working group to do exactly that."

The imposition of no-fly zones by foreign powers were crucial in helping Libyan rebels overthrow Muammar Gaddafi last year. But until recently the international community has been reluctant to take an overt military role in Syria's 17-month-old conflict.

Davutoglu said it was time for outside powers to take decisive steps to resolve the humanitarian crisis in cities such as Aleppo, which is under daily Syrian government bombardment.

Clinton was scheduled to hold talks with the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and President Abdullah Gul. Turkey is a fierce critic of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and has welcomed Syrian activists working to overthrow him.

The talks in Turkey took place as clashes broke out on the border with Jordan when troops there responded to fire from their Syrian counterparts which began after refugees tried to cross into Jordan. No one was reported killed on Jordan's side.

In Damascus, rebels clashed with government forces after a bomb was detonated near the city centre.

Clinton also plans to meet Syrian refugees in Istanbul during her visit as the US and allies boost humanitarian relief for civilians who have fled the war. More than 51,000 Syrians have sought refuge in neighbouring Turkey, with many more in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. There were more than 6,000 new arrivals in Turkey this week alone, many from Aleppo and surrounding villages, while others came from Idlib and Latakia.

The United Nations refugee agency said on Friday that the number of refugees in four neighbouring countries, including Turkey, has reached almost 150,000. That figure counts only Syrians who have registered or are in the process of registering as refugees. Officials acknowledge that the real number of Syrian refugees is likely to be more than 200,000 since tens of thousands are believed to have not yet registered with authorities.