Turkey says chemical arms use would escalate Syria crisis

Reuters ^ | 4-26-2013 | Jonathon Burch

[haffast]

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey said on Friday any use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would "take the crisis to another level", but remained cautious about any foreign military intervention in the conflict on its border.

The White House said on Thursday Assad's government had probably used chemical arms on a small scale, but that President Barack Obama needed proof before he would act.

"We have been hearing allegations of the use of chemical weapons for quite some time now and these new findings take things to another level. They are very alarming," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Levent Gumrukcu said.

"Since the very first reports of chemical weapons being used in Syria emerged we have been asking for a thorough investigation by the United Nations to substantiate these reports. However, the Syrian regime has not allowed this."

Syria, which has so far denied access to U.N. investigators because of a dispute over their remit, denies firing chemical weapons and accuses anti-Assad rebels of using them.

"This has been done by organizations, including al Qaeda, which threatened to use chemical weapons against Syria. They have carried out their threat near Aleppo. There were victims," Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said in Moscow.

"The Syrian army does not have chemical weapons," Interfax news agency quoted Zoubi as saying.

A once-fervent advocate of foreign intervention in Syria, Turkey has grown increasingly frustrated with the fractured opposition to Assad and with international disunity.

Asked whether Turkey would allow foreign military action in Syria from its soil, Gumrukcu said the facts about chemical weapons usage needed to be substantiated first.

"RED LINE"

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[haffast]

Same rhetoric as the Obamites. Imagine that.

[DesertRhino]

Sounds like Turkey should go to war if they feel that way. All these nations surrounding Syria have decided that good old American Kids should fight for the Al Qeida moslems in Syria.

Sounds like a home grown job for home grown people to me. And i cannot see how it would benefit our country even slightly to replace Assad with Al Qeida Wahhabbists.

[TheGunny]

Agreed.

[Cowboy Bob]

Democrats only want to get involved with conflicts that have no US national interest. Libya, Yugoslavia, and countries in Africa are just an example.

[haffast]

Imports, exports, balance of trade, petro-dollar cycle, resources we don't have, stuff we want to sell to others, ideological reasons (self-defense, defend the innocents,etc).....lots of reasons. I just hope that our sons and daughters don't bleed out in some hellhole or hobble around the rest of their lives in vain. It's up to us to be vigilent.

Israel urges U.S. action over Syrian chemical weapons
Reuters ^ | Dan Williams | Reuters
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3012676/posts?page=8#8

[EQAndyBuzz]

Screw it. Back the Kurds and let them take over everything.