A statement released on Monday by the Turkish General Staff said the deployment of NATO Patriot missiles on the border is only against aircraft and missile threats originating from Syria and is a measure for “completely defensive purposes.”
“The deployment of the air and missile defense system is only to counter an air or missile threat originating in Syria and is a measure entirely aimed at defense," the General Staff said. "That it will be used to form a no-fly zone or for an offensive operation is out of the question," it said.
The statement came as a team of NATO experts arrived in Turkey to conduct a site survey for the possible deployment of the Patriots. A joint Turkish-NATO team will start work on Tuesday assessing where to station the missiles, how many would be needed and the number of foreign troops that would be sent to operate them, the General Staff statement said.
The Turkish media reported that the eastern province of Malatya and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır are among possible locations for the missile deployment.
Within NATO, only the United States, the Netherlands and Germany possess Patriot missiles. The Netherlands has sent Patriots to Turkey twice before during both Gulf wars in 1991 and 2003.
The General Staff also said the integration of Patriot missiles into Turkey's aerial defense system, command control and rules of engagement is continuing within NATO.
Up to 300 foreign military personnel are also expected to be sent to Turkey from a country or countries that will eventually provide the missiles. The government has said no parliamentary approval would be needed for the deployment of missiles or foreign troops as it is a NATO procedure. The General Staff said the foreign troops will be deployed in Turkey under a memorandum of understanding to be signed within the framework of a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with NATO.
Turkey formally requested a NATO Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, last week amid fears that the 20-month-long Syrian crisis could spill over into Turkish territory. However, as Patriot missiles are not designed to provide protection for mortar or other stray shells similar to the ones that have landed several times on the Turkish side of the border in recent weeks, speculation is rife that the deployment is meant to create a de-facto no-fly zone in Syria. Some observers even say that it is a measure to counter a possible missile threat not from Syria, but from Iran.
Iran, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has criticized the planned deployment, saying it will not resolve the crisis in Syria but that it will further complicate the situation. Syria has called the move “provocative,” and Russia, another Syrian ally, said the move could increase risks in the conflict.
Turkey's missile request may have riled Damascus because it could be seen as a first step toward implementing a no-fly zone over Syrian airspace.
Syrian opposition fighters have been requesting a no-fly zone to help them hold territory against a government with overwhelming firepower from the air, but most foreign governments are reluctant to get drawn into the conflict.
Turkish leaders have dismissed Russian and Iranian concerns. “We see no reason that would justify these concerns, reactions,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Sunday of criticism from Moscow and Tehran. “These systems are for defensive use only, and they will not be activated unless there is a missile threat against our country,” he told the private CNN Türk television station.
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