Tit For Tat

"As you know, defence industry equipment or weapons, ammunitions .. cannot be carried on passenger planes.  It is against international rules for such things to pass through our air space", said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in contradicting denials by Russia and Syria that illegal arms had been aboard the Syrian passenger jet on its way from Moscow to Damascus.

It is quite possible, as some sources have more than hinted, that Ankara's move was a trifle precipitous in its zeal to prove how dangerous the Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad is.  The crates of electronic equipment that Turkey removed from the Syrian airbus with its relative handful of passengers which had aroused suspicion, represent radar equipment.

Not necessarily weapons of war, but obviously comprising parts of equipment that is used during war exercises.  "Equipment and ammunitions that were being sent from a Russian agency ... to the Syrian Defence Ministry", were confiscated, said Mr. Erdogan.  "Their examination is continuing and the necessary (action) will follow."

What might that necessary action be?  Nothing too rash, obviously.  No declarations of war, because neither Turkey nor NATO, for all their tough talk, and the real and horrendous plight of Syrian civilians caught between two civil war factions each as determined as the other to wreak as much damage on the other as possible - as the civilian death count mounts - has any intention of committing to conflict.

A conflict that would surely unleash all of the complex, bitter and brutal animosities simmering beneath the tribal, sectarian, political surface of the Arab and Muslim world in the Middle East and beyond.  Russia surely never meant to become embroiled to this degree in the affairs of their munitions-purchasing client state. 

And Turkey must feel now that it bit down a trifle too expeditiously on information it was fed.

A high-level dressing-down has taken place in Ankara at the ambassadorial level.  It's unclear who did most of the dressing down in talks with Turkish officials by Russian Ambassador Vladimir Ivanovsky.  Clearly, Russia would appreciate having its good relations with Turkey restored, but the bombast that exploded over the concern for the "lives and safety" of the 17 Russian citizens was acute.

"The Russian side continues to insist on an explanation for the Turkish authorities' actions toward Russian citizens and on the adoption of measures to avoid such incidents in the future", fumed Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich from Moscow.  Turkey is on notice.

For Russia's tit came Turkey's tat: as Turkey's Foreign Minister responded that the Syrian Air jetliner pilot had the opportunity to turn back when he was informed of Turkey's intention to ground his plane, but he declined that opportunity.