Makdessi: Turkish Military Aircraft Violated Syria’s Sovereignty, Syrian Response Was Defensive Act
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Spokesman for the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry Dr. Jihad Makdessi said that the Syrian response to the Turkish military aircraft which blatantly violated the Syrian sovereignty was a defensive and sovereign act, and that Syrian territories, waters and airspace are sacrosanct.
In a press conference held on Monday, Makdessi said that what happened was a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty according to international law, which is confirmed by facts, information, and the Turkish statements that admitted to the violation of Syrian airspace and territorial waters, regardless of the intents of the aircraft be they reconnaissance or training.
He said that what the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in the interview on Sunday is baseless and inaccurate, as he gave a story that completely contradicted the facts of this aggression on Syrian sovereignty when he claimed that the aircraft was hit and crashed in international waters.
Makdessi pointed out that the Syrian anti-aircraft defense used a land-based anti-aircraft machinegun with a maximum range of 2.5 kilometers, and that the wreckage found by the Syrian authorities and delivered to the Turkish side with an official record shows holes in the tail-end of the plane which confirm that it was shot down by a ground-based machinegun, not missiles.
“Had the aircraft been over territorial waters, we would have used missiles, not a land-based anti-aircraft machinegun with a maximum range of 2.5 kilometers… all of this confirms the falsity of the allegations that the aircraft was shot down outside Syrian territorial waters,” he said.
In response to Davutoglu’s statement that the aircraft wasn’t alerted, Makedessi said that the Syrian anti-air defenses operate automatically in such cases, and that even if the unidentified aircraft was Syrian, it would have been shot down in the same manner, adding that that machinegun that shot down the plane isn’t equipped with radar; rather it had visual confirmation of it approaching it at a distance of 1 to 2 kilometers at an altitude of 100 meters and at a speed of 800 kph.
He noted that Syrian anti-air defenses repelled violations by Israeli enemy airplanes in that same area in 2007 and that those aircrafts weren’t shot down then because that breach was different and unexpected and had a military nature.
Makdessi pointed out that Syria suggested to Turkey to form a joint military technical committee to visit the site of the incident in Lattakia to inspect the reality of what happened, but the Turkish side didn’t respond up to the moment, adding that rescue operations are ongoing with coordination between the two sides, which resulted in finding the wreckage and delivering it to the Turkish side, but unfortunately the pilots have not been found
“There’s a political campaign that has nothing to do with reality, and it aims to further demonize Syria, and the more the fail on the political level to aggravate the situaiton with Syria, they resort to other means… unfortunately, the Turkish Foreign Minister in particular and the Turkish government in general have been negative over the past 15 months regarding the crisis in Syria… they seek to aggravate the situation in Syria.”
Makdessi hoped that Davutoglu would make a positive reconsideration regarding Syria, adding that Syria has no ill intentions towards Turkey, adding “There is a crisis in Syria, but the solution cannot be through aggravating, mobilizing and arming the movement in Syria, nor through hosting entities that do not believe in a political solution but rather believe in militarizing the movement and undermining the stability of the neighboring country, Syria.”
He stressed that there’s still considerable friendliness between the Syrian and Turkish people despite the sly practices of the Turkish government which seek to gain the support of the Turkish people for its policies which do not serve Turkey through manipulating the the nationalist feeling which we respect.
“Syria, just like Turkey, is a proud nation. We know whenever someone hurts us what our nationalist feeling is like, but the Turkish government will not succeed in this. We are explaining the whole issue wisely and rationally with the hope that Turkey will show wisdom and rationality in return,” he said. Makdessi pointed out that official correspondence with Turkey on Sunday clarified the details of the incident in response to the Turkish allegations that what happened was a Syrian aggression against Turkey, with the correspondence stating that on 11.40 AM on June 22nd, Syrian radar systems detected a flying object heading towards Syrian territories that performed a left turn towards the northeast and climbed down to a low altitude where it disappeared from the radars, only to appear suddenly at an altitude of 100 meters, 1 to 2 kilometers from the beach and Syrian land, and became suddenly visible to the naked eye.
He added that later, it turned out that the object was an aircraft heading towards the beach and Syrian land at a speed of 700 to 800 kph, which engaged the rules of engagement employed in all sovereign countries, prompting Syrian anti-air defense to engage it.
Makdessi affirmed that the weapon used in repelling this violation of Syrian airspace was anti-aircraft artillery firing 23.57 rounds stationed on Syrian beaches, hitting the aircraft directly, adding that the aircraft was seen heading left afterwards and crashing in Syrian territorial waters.
He said that Syria is committed to the good neighborly relations with Turkey and that it wishes to resume cooperation with the Turkish side, noting that Syria wasn’t the one who harmed the bilateral relations is not Syria, which in the worst cases applied the principle of reciprocity, adding “We might respond to every positive step from the Turkish side with positive steps on our side if the Turkish government still believes in good neighborly relations with Syria.
“We live a state of political tension with Turkey but we hold no hostile intentions towards the Turkish people or the Turkish state,” Makdessi elaborated, pointing out that the Syrian Air Force Commander and the Navy Commander communicated with their Turkish counterparts after the fall of the warplane and allowed the Turkish helicopters to enter to the site of the incident, with the Syrian military boats participating in the search and rescue operations, all of which stresses that Syria has no hostile intentions and considers the Turkish people as brothers.
Regarding the Turkish government’s call for holding a NATO meeting, Makdessi said that the NATO is supposed to be an organization whose aim is to preserve security and stability and if the meeting is convened with such good intentions, then Syria wishes them success.
“We heard previous statements made by the NATO that they have no intention of military intervention in Syria. If the aim of the meeting is aggressive in nature, I want to reassure everyone that the Syrian territories, waters and airspace are sacrosanct for the Syrian army.”
On the role of the European Union in the Syrian crisis, Makdessi said that the EU has played a negative role, and that if it actually wants to help solve the crisis, it should come to Syria and inspect what is taking place on the ground, since what is happening is totally different from what the EU officials are hearing in the media.
Regarding Syria’s view of the results of Egypt’s presidential elections, he said that Syria always supports democratic choices of other people, congratulating the Egyptian people who made the decision, adding that he does not agree with those who make an issue out of the background of the president since he is now the President of Egypt.
Twenty Army, Law-enforcement Martyrs Paid Final Tribute
PROVINCES, (SANA) – The bodies of 20 army and law enforcement martyrs on Monday were escorted from the military hospitals of Aleppo and Tishreen in Damascus, Zahi Azraq in Lattakia and the National Hospital in Sweida to their final resting place.
Solemn funeral ceremonies were held for the martyrs who were targeted by armed terrorist groups while they were in line of duty in Homs, Aleppo, Idleb and Deir Ezzor.
The martyrs are:
-First Lieutenant Yahia Yousef al-Salam from Homs.
– Second Lieutenant Anas Anwar Abbas from Lattakia.
-Chief Warrant Officer Azad Ismael Hammo from Hasaka.
-Sergeant Ghassan Mohammad Sa’our from Damascus.
– Sergeant Maher Mohammad Ahmad from Damascus.
– Sergeant Hadi Mohammad Ismael from Damascus.
– Sergeant Hassan Mohammad al-Fata from Lattakia.
– Private Marwan Adeeb Harb from Sweida.
– Conscript Mohammad Abdul-Mone’m Yousef Mohammad from Aleppo.
– Conscript Shamdeen Hussein Al Rashi from Hasaka.
– Conscript Abdul-Hanan Asaad al-Mohammad al-Bakr from Aleppo.
– Conscript Hussein Ahmad Ibrahim from Aleppo.
– Conscript Jalal Razzouq Malkoun from Hasaka.
– Conscript Shadi Khaled Qusairi from Quneitra.
– Conscript Waheed Abdul-Masyakh from Deir Ezzor.
– Conscript Yaman Fawaz Abu Jouryyah from Daraa.
– Conscript Adnan al-Qawwas from Damascus.
– Conscript Mahmoud Mohammad Nae’m Hantoush from Damascus Countryside.
– Conscript Mahmoud Khaled al-Lahham from Damascus Countryside.
– Policeman Jaafar Mehsen Baddour Marouf from Lattakia.
The martyrs’ families called for firmly confronting the armed terrorist groups that have been committing criminal and sabotage acts in implementation of foreign agendas to undermine Syria’s national and pan-Arab role.
They expressed pride in the martyrdom of their sons, stressing their readiness for martyrdom in defending the homeland whenever duty calls.
Four Terrorists Killed in Booby-Trapped Car in Idleb, Authorities Clash with Terrorists in Deir Ezzor
IDLEB, (SANA)- 4 terrorists were on Monday killed in a booby-trapped car which they were intending to detonate near the law-enforcement forces in Kafarnubl in Idleb countryside.
A source in Idleb Province told SANA reporter that the booby-trapped car went off about 500 meters before it arrives near the law-enforcement forces, causing the death of three terrorists who were in it and another one driving a motorcycle.
The source added that no causalities or material damages were reported among the law-enforcement forces.
An engineering unit member stressed that the amount of the explosives in the car are estimated at 300 to 500 kg.
Authorities Clash with Terrorists, Kill some of them and Destroy their Cars in Deir Ezzor
Authorities stormed a terrorist hideout in al-Ba’ajein in the city of Deir Ezzor.
A source in the province told SANA reporter that the clash resulted in killing a number of terrorists, among them Ismael Ali al-Azeel.
The authorities also clashed with terrorists in 5 pickup trucks equipped with machineguns in al-Shuhadaa neighborhood after the locals informed them about cars carrying terrorists in the region.
The authorities killed the terrorists and destroyed their cars.
In the same context, the authorities stormed a hideout of an armed terrorist group in al-Rashidiyeh neighborhood where they found money, fake passports, computers and weapons.
The authorities clashed with the terrorist Saleh al-Ghbeir who leads a terrorist group in Deir Ezzor and killed him.
Authorities hunt terrorists in Jabar and Sultaniya, Homs
The competent authorities in Homs are continuing pursuit to the armed terrorist groups at Jobar and al-Sultaniya neighborhoods, killing a number of terrorists including the criminal Radi Khaled.
An official source in Homs told SANA reporter that the pursuit operations led to arresting some other terrorists and confiscating their weapons .
Two Explosive Devices Deactivated in Aleppo and Hama
Military engineering units deactivated on Monday two explosive devices planted by armed terrorist groups in al-Sakhour neighborhood in Hanano city in Aleppo province.
The explosive devices weigh over 10 kilograms each, according to sources in the province.
In Hama city, military engineering units dismantled an explosive device planted by an armed terrorist group near al-Mahatah crossroads.
Ten Terrorists Killed during Clashes with Competent Authorities in Douma
The competent authorities clashed with an armed terrorist group looting and firing at people and cars in Douma city in Damascus countryside.
A source in the province told SANA reporter that 10 terrorists were killed and others were wounded during the clashes.
Moscow hopes NATO will not take any measures leading to aggravating situation in Syria
MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko on Monday hoped that the NATO Alliance will not take during its meeting tomorrow any steps that would aggravate situation in Syria or foiling the political settlement of the crisis in Syria.
In an interview with Novosti news agency in Vienna where he arrived to participate in The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conference, Grushko said that Turkey’s call for NATO Council concerning the shot down of the Turkish jet last Friday is a worrisome indication to a military escalation in Syria.
He added that the efforts of the international community should be aimed at preparing the current circumstances for shifting the military situation to a political process and for pushing all Syrian parties to sit at the dialogue table to discuss a political solution.
Ahmad Said: Armed Group abducted me, photographed me as a defected colonel
DAMASCUS, (SANA)-Citizen Ahmad Omar Said related how he was abducted by an armed terrorist group in Douma, Damascus countryside to be photographed as a colonel defected from the Syrian Arab army.
” I am Palestinian, works in Douma… while arriving at al-Siyndiana mosque, two gunmen, on a motorcycle intercepted me, tied my hands and blindfolded me..later they took me to unknown farm,” Said told the Syrian TV in an interview broadcast Monday.
He said that the gunmen put him in a room, beat him and asked him to bear a weapon and claim that he is a defected Army colonel… later they photographed him after giving him a rifle.
“The armed group contacted my family by phone, claiming that they are from the so-called the free army, asking my family; do you want to send him back in a box or torn apart in sacks..”, Said added.
Cyprus Foreign Minister: We Support Annan’s Plan for Resolving Crisis in Syria, Reject any Military Intervention in It
NICOSIA, (SANA) – Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis said that her country supports the plan of International Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan and opposes any military intervention against Syria, calling for adopting a political solution as the optimal way to resolve the crisis.
In an interview with Russia’s ITAR-TASS agency, Kozakou-Marcoullis said that Cyprus took a decisive position from the beginning based on total rejection of any military intervention in Syria and that it views that reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis is very important.
The Minister, whose country will preside upon the EU during the next six months, said that Cyprus supports Annan’s plan and its six points, and that her country will try to convince the rest of Europe that this is the best path to follow in this affair.
Kozakou-Marcoullis, who is participating in the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday, said that it’s in the best interests of Cyprus and the EU to unite efforts in supporting Annan’s plan, and not just within the EU, but also with partners in the Security Councils, including Russia which is a main partner.
She warned that if foreign intervention and a war take place in Syria, then the conflict will spread to neighboring countries and the entire region, which is in nobody’s interest and no-one wishes for such developments to happen.
The Minister said that Cyprus’ words have weight in the EU foreign ministers council, so as the nearest European neighbor of Syria, it will spare no effort to inform other European countries of its concerns over any military escalation.
China: Ending Violence in Syria Demands Participation of the Region’s Countries
BEIJING, (SANA) – Spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hong Li, on Monday said that Beijing believes that ending violence in Syria demands the participation of all the region’s countries, especially those who have influence in Syria.
In his daily press conference, Li expressed hope that the international conference, due to be held in Geneva on June 30th, will help build an international concord and give full support to Annan’s plan with the aim of implementing the relevant UN Security Council’s resolutions.
Turkish Communist Party Holds Erdogan’s Government Responsibile for the Turkish Warplane Incident
ANKARA, (SANA) – The Turkish Communist Party held the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan responsible for the incident of the Turkish military plane which was shot down by the Syrian anti air defenses after violating the Syrian airspace, calling for the government’s resignation.
The Central Committee of the party said in a press release made on Monday that “This behavior is a dirty game played by the Turkish government supported by the USA and Israel. It is not the first provocative move made by the Turkish government.”
Turkish MP: Government of Justice and Development Party Responsible for the Turkish Warplane Accident
Turkish MP Kamer Genc of the Turkish Republican People’s Party in Tunceli province said that he does not trust anything that Erdogan’s government says.
Answering a question on whether the Republican People’s Party will agree to passing a memo that allows the Turkish government to wage a war, Genc was quoted Genc as saying ”First we have to know why the warplane went there and who ordered it.”
Genc considered that the Justice and Development Party is the only one responsible for the accident, adding ”we do not trust anything that the government of Justice and Development Party says”.
Popular Front For the Liberation Of the Golan: Resistance Only Way to Liberate Lands and Restor Rights
QUNEITRA, (SANA) – The Front for the Liberation of the Golan on Monday stressed that resistance is the only way to liberate the lands and restore the rights.
In a statement on the 38th anniversary of liberating Quneitra, the Front said that liberating the city was a landmark in the history of struggle with the Israeli enemy.
The Front hailed the sacrifices made by the Syrian army during years of struggle with the Zionist entity.
The Front underlined that Quneitra became an evidence on the savagery of the new-Nazis, stressing its resolve to continue the process of liberation until the historic moment when President Bashar al-Assad rises the Syrian flag on Golan.