Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Turkish Parliament on Thursday approved an abrupt motion that will allow the government to undertake necessary military retaliation against Syria, after a mortar strike killed five Turkish civilians in the Turkish town of Akcakale on the Syria border, Today's Zaman reported.

A total of 320 lawmakers voted for the motion, while 129 voted against it. The discussion in Parliament was closed to the press, a government decision which was criticized by the opposition, who wanted to discuss the motion in an open session. However, their objections were overridden and the meeting was held behind closed doors.

Syria has admitted it was responsible for a shelling that killed five civilians on Turkish soil and apologized, Turkey's deputy prime minister said, Hurriyet reported.

Syrian Information Minister Umran al-Zuabi told Syrian state television that the authorities are investigating the shelling that hit Turkey's southeastern district of Akcakale.

The source of the firing that targeted the Turkish town is being looked into by the Syrian authorities "with seriousness," Al-Zuabi said.

He also called the killed Turkish citizens "martyrs" and offered his condolences to the Turkish nation.

Al-Zuabi underlined the existence of armed militia around the border region and said such a danger should be taken seriously.

States should respond rationally to such mistakes, and Syrian sovereignty should be respected by all sides, he added.

Turkey's NATO allies, such as the United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany also condemned the shelling of the Turkish village.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also expressed her sadness over the Akcakale incident. Clinton said that Syrian regime made people suffer in the country to save their seats.

Moreover, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon), George Little said they were saddened over the loss of lives in Turkey's Akcakale town due to Syrian artillery shells that landed in the town and that they closely followed the situation in the region.

"This incident shows the unethical acts of the Syrian regime and is another example of why the Syrian administration must leave power," Little stressed.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the ongoing conflict in Syria endangers the surrounding region, RIA Novosti reported.

The top UN official once again called on all conflicting sides in Syria to stop the violence and start negotiations.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ban Ki-moon was contacted over the phone by Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. In addition to expressing his condolences at the "tragic loss of life" caused in the incident, Mr. Ban encouraged Davutoglu to keep open all channels of communication with the Syrian authorities with a view to lessening any tension that could build up as a result of the incident.

Azerbaijan is also concerned over the situation in the region, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev told Trend news agency on Thursday.

"The international security issue is very important for Azerbaijan, as a member of the UN Security Council," he said. "Of course, we are concerned over the tense situation emerged in the region. In this regard, the appropriate instructions were given to Azerbaijan's Permanent Mission to the United Nations."