Turkey says no, for now, to buffer zone with Syria
None
Turkey condemns what it calls atrocities in Syria and says the world cannot watch another Sarajevo, the Bosnian city that endured years of siege warfare and international dithering in the 1990s. Yet it is steering clear, for now, of proposals for a "safe haven" across the border where civilians could shelter and army defectors regroup.
Turkey matters in the global debate about the bloodshed because of its 566-mile frontier with Syria, and because it has matured into a regional power and potential counter to Iran, a backer of Damascus. Despite diplomacy and condemnation, however, Turkey increasingly resembles an anguished observer as the death toll climbs across a once-friendly frontier. (AP)
