Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The United States has not received an official request from NATO on deploying Patriot missile defense system on Turkey's Syria border, U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland was quoted by Anadolu news agency as saying on Thursday.

"Since the Article 4 consultation that we had in NATO with Turkey at Turkey's request following the beginning of...cross-border incidents, we have been working within NATO and with Turkey to look at what other defensive support Turkey might require," Nuland said at a press conference.

Earlier media reports said Turkish officials have talked with their NATO counterparts over possible deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey as part of the contingency plans of the alliance.

Reports that circulated in international news media said Turkey contacted NATO and the United States and urged deployment of the missiles along its border with Syria to create a de facto buffer zone against possible threats from its southern neighbor.

While noting that Washington had not received a relevant request from NATO, Nuland reminded that they have reinforced Turkey with Patriots in the past. Nuland added that they would await a formal request and then NATO would deliberate on the matter.

"But we are obviously looking at the full range of things to ensure that Turkey remains safe and secure," she stated.

Nuland added that Patriot is a defensive system responsible for knocking down incoming missiles.

"It is not a missile. It is an interceptor for missiles, so its purpose would be to defend the territory of Turkey," she said.

Nuland said that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are expected to discuss soon a full package of Syria issues, though not necessarily this particular issue.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied news reports that Turkey would buy Patriot missiles from NATO.

"We do not have any thoughts of acquiring Patriots by paying money," Erdogan told Turkish media.

Erdogan said any initiative for purchase of such missiles should be approved by him personally and not be up to the Foreign Ministry. NATO offers such assistance to allies when their security is threatened but it does not sell weaponry to member states.

In the meantime, Minister Davutoglu said regarding allegations that Turkey would buy Patriot missiles from NATO and that the alliance would deploy such missiles on its border with Syria that NATO was obliged to defend all its members.

Also, in Brussels, a NATO spokeswoman said the alliance has not received a request from Turkey yet, reiterating Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen's remarks earlier in the week that NATO will consider such a request when it is made by an ally, Todays Zaman newspaper reported.

A Turkish official said Turkey and its allies, including the U.S., have discussed the possibility of using Patriot missiles to protect a safe zone inside war-torn Syria, the Associated Press reported. Quoting a Foreign Ministry official, the report said the missiles are one of a number of scenarios being considered as a way to stop "regime attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians".

NATO deployed Patriot missile defense systems in Turkey twice in the past, responding to Turkish requests for protection in the course of the Iraqi war. In both cases they were deployed by the Netherlands, as only a few countries have such missile systems.

"I would not be surprised if Turkey would soon make such a request," a diplomat from a NATO country said.

"The situation is getting worse in Syria, and it's the right of Turkey to take necessary security measures."