Turkey suspends crossings of its trucks to Syria

Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said Wednesday that Turkey suspended crossings of its trucks to Syria. Turkey's border gates along border with Syria were closed to crossings of trucks, Caglayan told reporters on Wednesday. We have serious concerns regarding the safety of Turkish trucks while crossing to and from Syria, he noted, according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency. Caglayan added that transportation from Turkey to Syria decreased 87 percent in January-May period of 2012 when compared to the same period of 2011. Earlier, Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazici said that Turkey's 13 border gates along 911-kilometer border with Syria would be closed to trucks. Dozens of Turkish trucks were either looted or torched during clashes between opponents and Syrian army in the border crossing of Bab al-Hawa last week.