Syria’s Moallem accuses Turkey of undermining Annan plan

“Turkey … supports illegal Syrian militant groups, supplies them with weapons … and lets them illegally cross into Syria,” Waled al-Moallem said at a press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow. “How can we [fulfill the plan] if there are still illegal arm deliveries and the movement of militants from Turkey?”

Moallem said Turkey, in violation of the Annan plan, harbors armed groups who attack Syrian troops and allows them to smuggle weapons across the border, calling the northern neighbor a “part of the problem.”

Turkey has warned of unspecified steps against Syria after Syrian forces fired across the border at a refugee camp in Turkey on Monday. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said two Syrian citizens living in the camp and two Turkish citizens working there were wounded as a result of the gunfire.

According to the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the fighting along the Turkish border began before dawn on Monday when opposition fighters attacked Syrian soldiers manning a checkpoint near the Turkish border, killing six soldiers.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, a spokesman for the Observatory, said the troops then kept firing as they pursued eight wounded rebels who escaped to the camp just across the border in Turkey, sending bullets whizzing across the frontier.

According to the Observatory, the shooting wounded five people in the camp, which is next to the Öncüpınar border post near the provincial center of Kilis.

Lavrov said for his part that he told Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, during a telephone conversation on Monday, that the opposition and the countries that “influence them” should use their powers to bring about a cease-fire. “We would like to call on all opposition leaders and all countries that have influence on the political and military opposition to use their influence to bring about an immediate cease-fire as is provided by Kofi Annan's plan,” said Lavrov.

Lavrov also said he received assurances from Davutoğlu that Turkey would not undertake any unilateral steps. “He assured that Turkey is not planning any unilateral action,” he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking at a press conference in Beijing, said Monday's incident amounted to a clear violation of the border and that Turkey will “use its rights as guaranteed by international law,” but did not elaborate.