Syria would strike back at Turkey, Deputy FM warns

DAMASCUS/ANKARA

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his office, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Aug. 26, 2013. AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad has warned Turkey to “think twice” before participating in a probable U.S.-led operation in Syria, saying the regime would strike back in retaliation.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, al-Mekdad said Damascus would strike back at Turkey along with Israel and Jordan if they took part in an operation against his country.

“We believe that any attack against Syria will definitely result in chaos in the entire region, if not beyond,” he said. He also said the regime was seeking dialogue and reconciliation with the U.S., while calling called on the Congress, which is currently considering a military strike, to “exercise wisdom,” warning that any attack against Syria would have grave consequences in the entire region.

The deputy foreign minister confirmed that the regime had been supplied up to now with Russian arms. “We have been supplied until this minute with Russian arms to defend ourselves,” al-Mekdad said.

In Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated Sept. 4 that Turkey would take part in any international coalition against Syria, but stopped short of saying whether that would include military action.

“We have said that we are ready to take part in any kind of coalition and we perceive this as a coalition of volunteers,” Erdoğan said without elaborating, shortly before leaving for the G-20 meeting in St. Petersburg.