Nato: no demand from Turkey over Syria

A NATO spokesperson said Thursday Turkey did not ask the Alliance for help in dealing with Syria in the aftermath of a Syrian cross border aggression earlier this week. Carmen Romero, however, underlined that the Alliance "takes it very seriously protecting its members," saying that NATO was monitoring the situation very closely and would continue to do so. Syrian army troops opened fire on Syrians fleeing into a camp in Turkey's south earlier this week killing two and wounding 21 others. A police officer and three Syrians at the camp in Turkey's Kilis province were also wounded in the fire. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Article 5 of the NATO treaty obliged members to protect an ally in case it came under an attack. "NATO has responsibilities to protect the Turkish border according to Article 5," Erdogan said. Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday in case of a future border violation by Syria Turkey would "consult with NATO allies as well as reserve our rights to take measures by mobilizing our own capacities." The only occasion where Article 5 of the NATO Treaty was invoked was after the September 11 attacks on the United States and consequently the attacks were deemed to be an attack on all NATO members.