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Turkey's Top security board convenes amid Syria border tension
Turkey's top political leaders and military commanders convened for a meeting on Monday as tension on Turkey's border with Syria increased amid a government crackdown on anti-regime protests.
Turkey's Ambassador to Syria Ömür Önhon attended the National Security Council (MGK) meeting to brief participants on developments in Syria. The council's meeting is a regular one and is headed by President Abdullah Gül.
About 12,000 Syrians have fled to Turkey over the past weeks while Syrian troops have moved to seal the area. Many fear an influx of refugees could spark an undesired confrontation between Turkish and Syrian troops along the border.
The Syrian government's brutal crackdown on protesters has brought once-close relations with Syria to a breaking point, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing the Syrian response to protests as “savagery.” But Turkish leaders are still calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to speedily implement political reforms, hoping that the crisis can be resolved without further bloodshed.
As Syrian troops move closer to the Turkish border, there have been reports that Turkey is also reinforcing its troops in the area. One of the issues that the MGK is expected to discuss is planned reinforcements along the border, the Sabah daily reported on Monday.
There have also been reports in the Turkish and international media that Turkish political and military leaders are considering setting up a buffer zone inside Syria in case the number of refugees increases sharply. These reports have not been confirmed.
Turkey's Land Forces Commander Gen. Erdal Ceylanoğlu, Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Necdet Özel and 2nd Army Corps Commander Gen. Servet Yörük have all visited the border area recently. Yörük visited the Güveççi border post this week to take stock of Syrian troop deployments near the border and to see the refugees' situation for himself.
A possible infiltration by outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants into Turkey via the Syrian border is also a cause for concern for the MGK, Sabah added. PKK militants infiltrated Turkey during an influx of refugees from Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, paving the way for an escalation of the PKK threat in the following years.
Chaos in Syria, an ally of Iran, could also have ramifications across the Middle East. A columnist for Lebanese daily al-Akhbar, said to be close to Hezbollah, has recently written that Iran has threatened Turkey, saying if it were to be used as a platform for NATO action against Syria, Iran would bomb US and NATO bases in Turkey. The columnist also said Iran sees the preservation of the Syrian regime as the preservation of the Iranian and Lebanese governments.
Top security board convenes amid Syria border tension

Turkey's top political leaders and military commanders convened for a meeting on Monday as tension on Turkey's border with Syria increased amid a government crackdown on anti-regime protests.
Turkey's Ambassador to Syria Ömür Önhon attended the National Security Council (MGK) meeting to brief participants on developments in Syria. The council's meeting is a regular one and is headed by President Abdullah Gül.
About 12,000 Syrians have fled to Turkey over the past weeks while Syrian troops have moved to seal the area. Many fear an influx of refugees could spark an undesired confrontation between Turkish and Syrian troops along the border.
The Syrian government's brutal crackdown on protesters has brought once-close relations with Syria to a breaking point, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing the Syrian response to protests as “savagery.” But Turkish leaders are still calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to speedily implement political reforms, hoping that the crisis can be resolved without further bloodshed.
As Syrian troops move closer to the Turkish border, there have been reports that Turkey is also reinforcing its troops in the area. One of the issues that the MGK is expected to discuss is planned reinforcements along the border, the Sabah daily reported on Monday.
There have also been reports in the Turkish and international media that Turkish political and military leaders are considering setting up a buffer zone inside Syria in case the number of refugees increases sharply. These reports have not been confirmed.
Turkey's Land Forces Commander Gen. Erdal Ceylanoğlu, Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Necdet Özel and 2nd Army Corps Commander Gen. Servet Yörük have all visited the border area recently. Yörük visited the Güveççi border post this week to take stock of Syrian troop deployments near the border and to see the refugees' situation for himself.
A possible infiltration by outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants into Turkey via the Syrian border is also a cause for concern for the MGK, Sabah added. PKK militants infiltrated Turkey during an influx of refugees from Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, paving the way for an escalation of the PKK threat in the following years.
Chaos in Syria, an ally of Iran, could also have ramifications across the Middle East. A columnist for Lebanese daily al-Akhbar, said to be close to Hezbollah, has recently written that Iran has threatened Turkey, saying if it were to be used as a platform for NATO action against Syria, Iran would bomb US and NATO bases in Turkey. The columnist also said Iran sees the preservation of the Syrian regime as the preservation of the Iranian and Lebanese governments.
Top security board convenes amid Syria border tension