|
Damascus, June 24 (IANS) A day after shooting down a Turkish military plane which penetrated Syrian territorial waters, Syrian government has said it holds no hostility towards Turkey despite its tough rhetoric, Xinhua reported. Turkish President Abdullah Gul has vowed to do whatever is required following the incident in which a Turkish jet was shot down by Syria over the southwest of Hatay province, according to Anatolia news agency. Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdiss said Saturday that Syria had no hostile intentions towards Turkey. On Friday, a Syrian military spokesperson admitted that a Turkish fighter jet penetrated the Syrian airspace earlier in the day and it had been shot down by Syrian army with anti-aircraft artillery. The spokesperson said that it was dealt with in accordance to the laws observed in similar situation. "What happened was a defensive and sovereign act," said Makdissi Saturday, claiming existing coordination between the Turkish and Syrian governments to locate the whereabouts of the missing pilots. Joining the search for the pilots is a clear evidence that Syria is dealing with this situation with responsibility, Makdissi said. Meanwhile, the Turkish president has said that it is certain that the Turkish jet had been shot down by Syria, which is not possible to ignore. He also stressed that it was routine for warplanes flying at high speed to cross borders for short distances.
| 
