Turkey seeks to calm ‘speculation’

ANKARA: Turkey sought to calm speculation on Tuesday it was planning to invade Syria, saying it would not act unilaterally but has a right to protect its borders.
“To interpret our border security measures as ‘Turkey is going to war’... is not very rational,” presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told a press conference in Ankara.
“A country has a natural right to protect its borders,” he said.
Kalin added that Turkey would not take any “unilateral steps” and would continue to act in line with the international community in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Pro-government media outlets had claimed that the government was planning a cross-border operation in Syria, which would involve 18,000 ground troops and include the creation of a 110-kilometre long buffer zone within Syria.
Turkey’s top security body, chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held a meeting on Monday and released a statement that voiced concerns over recent developments in Syria.