US, Turkey agree to Syria contingency planning

McClatchy Newspaper

ISTANBUL, Turkey

The United States and Turkey on Saturday took a half-step toward intervention in Syria, announcing that the two governments jointly would begin “in-depth analysis and operational planning” for a possible no-fly zone.

The countries also will begin drafting plans for how to respond if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime carries out wide-scale massacres or uses chemical weapons as it battles insurgents seeking its overthrow.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the steps early in a day of hurriedly called talks with top Turkish leaders.

Clinton asked to see top officials in Turkey while touring Africa last week, as Syrian rebels battled to seize parts of Aleppo, the country’s most-populous city, against a fierce government counterattack. Reports from Aleppo last week indicated the rebels had withdrawn from many of their forward positions after they ran low on ammunition.

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