Syria

NATO Patriot missiles would further destabilize Mideast: Larijani


Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has expressed strong reservations about NATO’s possible deployment of surface-to-air Patriot missiles along Turkey’s border with Syria, saying it will cause more problems in the region.

According to Press TV, Larijani told reporters upon his arrival in Tehran from a three-leg regional tour on Saturday: “In meetings with Turkey’s top officials, we warned that the deployment of such systems will have adverse consequences and will exacerbate problems in the region.”
Turkey has officially made its request to NATO for the deployment of Patriot systems along its border with Syria, claiming that the deployment would only be defensive and that it would not “support a no-fly zone or any offensive operation” in Syria.
Ankara’s request came after tensions between Turkey and its southern neighbor soared in early October when shells coming from Syria landed in the Turkish border town of Akcakale killing five civilians.
Turkey retaliated against the deadly incident by shelling targets in Syria for several days. At least 10 Syrian troops were reportedly killed by the Turkish fire.
Patriot is a long-range, all-altitude and all-weather system employed to counter tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. It is also used against advanced aircraft.
Larijani said that during his visits to Syria, Lebanon and Turkey, he held talks with the senior officials of the three countries on the ways to expand relations as well as about the major developments in the region. The top Iranian parliamentarian added that Tehran, Damascus, Beirut and Ankara came closer to a common stance on leading regional issues, including the Syrian unrest.
Larijani pointed out that regional security officials should hold regular meetings to find a solution to the unrest in Syria at the earliest.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011.
The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals.

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