Merkel Strongly Condemns Syrian Attacks on Turkey, Urges Caution

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned attacks on Turkey by Syrian forces that killed five Turkish nationals, urging restraint from both sides.

“We strongly condemn the Syrian attacks on Turkey,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin after a meeting with Yemeni President Abdurabuh Mansur Hadi. “We stand at Turkey’s side.”

Turkey’s parliament is set to vote today on a motion allowing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government to order military action in Syria, after a mortar bomb fired across the border killed five Turks yesterday. Syria’s uprising has become a civil war that’s spilling across its borders, with shells and gunfire now following tens of thousands of refugees into Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

Germany’s condemnation of Syria is “completely clear,” Merkel said, while calling on all parties involved to show great caution.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rainer Buergin in Berlin at rbuergin1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net