The Syrian jet affair

This is obviously the major news of the day and marks a new step towards direct war between NATO and Syria.

First, we have the Russian side of the story, from RT.

Turkish PM claims diverted Syria-bound plane was carrying munitions for Damascus

The Syrian commercial jet forced to land in Ankara mid-flight between Moscow and Damascus Wednesday evening was carrying munitions for the Syrian Defense Ministry, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Thursday.

RT,

11 0ctober, 2012

"It is absolutely clear who sent the cargo and who was going to receive it. This was munitions from the Russian equivalent of our Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation being sent to the Syrian Defense Ministry," Erdogan told journalists, referring to the state-run Turkish manufacturer that supplies the country's army.

"The examination [of the seized cargo] is continuing and the necessary will follow," the PM added.

Earlier on Wednesday Ankara had sent a diplomatic memo to its Arab neighbor on grounds that the plane was carrying "certain equipment in breach of civil aviation rules."

Syria branded the Wednesday incident "piracy," and said there was nothing illegal on board the Airbus A-320. The plane operator’s chief Ghaida Abd Al-Latif said their plane was carrying civilian electrical equipment.

Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said that it had no cargo on the flight.

Russian airport representatives also said that customs and security services did not find anything suspicious in the cargo before the 35-passenger plane was cleared for takeoff. All the relevant inspection documents were passed over to officials for investigation, the Vnukovo Airport press service said.

Military analysts and industry insiders say it is unlikely that Moscow would use a civilian aircraft to send military cargo to Syria.

 

“Even if it really were necessary to send any military equipment or arms supplies, it would have been done as required by law, not illegally, using a civilian jet,” a top official in Russian’s military export industry told Interfax. “There were no weapons, no systems or components of military equipment on board, and there could never be.”

Russia is not a signatory to the international arms embargo on Syria. However, Moscow announced in July that it would only honor old arms contracts with the Arab country, and refused to sign any new deals while the country's violent civil war continues.

President Vladimir Putin has also repeatedly vowed that any military supplies it sends to Syria cannot be used in civil conflicts.

Forced landing turned diplomatic scandal

 

Turkish F-16s forced the Airbus A320 to land at Ankara's international airport at around 5:15 pm local time. The plane's crew and 35 passengers had to spend around nine hours while the cargo was inspected. After the Turkish security forces confiscated some of the load, the plane was allowed to take off again.

The plane’s crew claims that instead of ordering it to land, Turkey straightaway dispatched fighter jets. The abrupt appearance of F-16s close to the plane posed an immediate danger to the lives of everyone on board, says Syrian Air chief Ghaida Abd al-Latif.

Sherin Azis, a hostess on the plane, told RT that the crew and passengers waited for two hours before Turkish officials approached the plane. Witnesses add that while the cargo was inspected they did not catch sight of weapons, or, indeed anything suspicious. 

They also complain of poor and at times aggressive treatment. Al-Latif said that Turkish officials beat up a crew member and several passengers after they refused to sign a statement that the plane had made an emergency landing. A stewardess also said Turkish officials threatened to detain the pilot if he did not sign the documents.

The flight engineer, Jasem Kaser, says the crew was taken out of the plane in handcuffs and at gunpoint.

The Turkish officials "opened the freight space and started taking pictures of the cargo. They opened boxes, checked the shipping list. Though there was nothing suspicious there, they ordered us to leave,” Kaser said. “Then they ordered the boxes be taken out, so I asked for a receipt. They urged us to disembark and said they’d give a receipt later. This took around half an hour. Then they pointed their guns at us, cuffed us, put in two cars and took us to the ramp.”

Jasem Kaser, engineer on the Syrian Air passenger plane, intercepted by Turkey

The passengers, many children among them, were not allowed to leave the plane and were not supplied with food, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aleksandr Lukashevich. 

Russian medics and diplomats were not allowed to the scene. The Turkish Foreign Ministry later wrote it off as a mistake caused by the fact that the pilot “refused to disclose the passenger list.”

Moscow slammed Ankara for endangering the lives of Russian passengers when it intercepted the jet late on Wednesday – something Ankara denied Thursday. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also insisted that its aviation officials warned the pilot of their intentions and gave him a chance to turn back to Russia, but that he chose not to do so.

Turkey says it will stop more Syrian civilian aircraft using its airspace if necessary. Meanwhile, Turkish passenger planes have been instructed to avoid Syrian airspace, as it is viewed as unsafe.

"We are determined to control weapons transfers to a regime that carries out such brutal massacres against civilians. It is unacceptable that such a transfer is made using our airspace," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

Relations between Syria and Turkey have accelerated going downhill after deadly cross-border shelling a week ago. Mortar shells were fired from Syrian territory killed five civilians a Turkish town. Turkey responded by deploying troops, armored vehicles and F-16 fighter jets along the volatile border.

Ankara, once an ally of Syria, has become an outspoken supporter of the 19-month-long uprising in Syria that seeks to topple the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. Turkey hosts over 90,000 refugees from the Arab country, where according to the UN estimates more than 18,000 people have died in the unrest.

Damascus said that the Syria-bound commercial jet diverted to Ankara Wednesday night was not carrying prohibited cargo, and demanded Turkey return the goods it seized. The airline accused Ankara of brutality and illegal provocations.

Syria accuses Turkey of 'air piracy', demands return of seized cargo

Damascus said that the Syria-bound commercial jet diverted to Ankara Wednesday night was not carrying prohibited cargo, and demanded Turkey return the goods it seized. The airline accused Ankara of brutality and illegal provocations.

RT.

11 October, 2012

In its comments on the interception, the Turkish Foreign Ministry alleged that the plane’s cargo contained elements “not legitimate in civilian flights.” Turkish media speculated that security forces had seized communication equipment, radio terminals and missile components.

But the Syrian Transport Ministry insists the cargo on the Syrian Air plane, which was flying from Moscow to Damascus, was within the regulations. The ministry accuses Turkey of piracy.

“The actions of the Turkish authorities are air piracy which violates civil aviation agreements,” said Transport Minister Mahmoud Ibrahim Said. “They have the cargo – but we still have the documents. If there’s anything wrong, as their officials insist, let them prove it.”

On Thursday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry demanded the cargo be returned “whole and safe,” and said there were “no weapons or prohibited cargo” on board.

Russian airport representatives also said that customs and security services did not find anything suspicious in the cargo before the 35-passenger plane was cleared for takeoff. All the relevant inspection documents were passed over to officials for investigation, the Vnukovo Airport press service said.

The civilian plane was diverted mid-flight by F-16 fighter jets, and was not allowed to leave the international airport in Ankara for around nine hours until Turkish officials finished inspecting the plane’s cargo.....

For article GO HERE

 

-->

'We were handcuffed at gunpoint' - flight engineer of Syria-bound plane

Turkey says the Syria-bound passenger plane, that was forced to land in Turkey, was carrying Russian-made munitions. The Moscow airport that dispatched the flight insists there was no illegal cargo onboard. F-16 fighter jets intercepted the flight on its way from Moscow to Damascus, which was carrying 37 people. RT's Tom Barton reports.

Also, RT talks to author and journalist Afhsin Rattansi