NEWSLINK: Russia airs concern over Turkey’s request for NATO missiles

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(Russia airs concern over Turkey’s request for NATO missiles – Reuters – Steve Gutterman – November 23 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/23/syria-crisis-russia-nato-idUSL5E8MN5EV20121123)

Amidst the ongoing Syrian conflict, Reuters covers Russia’s reaction to the prospect of NATO deploying Patriot missile defense systems to Turkey near the border with Syria:

Russia emphasised its opposition on Friday to NATO’s potential deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey near the Syrian border, which the Western alliance says would increase security and Moscow argues would undermine it.

NATO is considering the request for the surface-to-air missiles that alliance member Turkey has made because of fears of a spillover from the civil war in Syria.

As a non-member, Russia has no say in the alliance’s decision, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s opposition in a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

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The West has criticised Russia, as well as China, for vetoing three U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at putting pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end a conflict activists say has killed more than 38,000 people since protests began in March 2011.

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Rasmussen called Lavrov on Friday and in the “interest of transparency, set out NATO position on (the potential deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey) – defensive only,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Twitter.

Click here for full article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/23/syria-crisis-russia-nato-idUSL5E8MN5EV20121123

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