DAMASCUS: Russia insisted its stand on the conflict in key ally Syria was unchanged, while Washington and Berlin prepared to deploy Patriot missiles and troops near Turkey’s border with the country.

A foreign ministry spokesman in Moscow said that Russia’s controversial support for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime was unchanged and that remarks by deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov did not reflect official policy.

But Washington swiftly welcomed Bogdanov’s observations on Thursday, while announcing the deployment of two Patriot missile batteries and 400 support troops to fellow North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member Turkey.

Germany and The Netherlands also have agreed to provide advanced “hit-to-kill” Patriot weapons, which are designed to knock out cruise and ballistic missiles as well as aircraft.

On Friday, the German parliament approved sending the missiles along with up to 400 US soldiers. Last week, the Dutch cabinet also gave a go-ahead for Patriots, along with a maximum 360 soldiers to operate them.

Bogdanov’s comments had appeared to mark a major change in policy by Moscow, which has repeatedly used its veto powers in the United Nations (UN) Security Council to shield its Cold
War ally.

But foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich insisted that there was no such shift.
At the close of a two-day European Union (EU) summit, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that “inaction and indifference are not options” in Syria.

Earlier, French President Francois Hollande said that “the war is now turning against Assad and we should set ourselves this objective—make Assad leave as quickly as possible.”

A joint statement by EU leaders said they were “appalled by the increasingly deteriorating situation in Syria” and looking at “all options” to help the opposition and protect civilians.

As rebels have seized large swathes of northern Syria along Turkey’s southern flanks, there has been mounting stray fire across the frontier. Some of it has been deadly, drawing strong warnings from Ankara that it will act to defend its territory.

Western governments resisted a Turkish call earlier this year for a Libyan-style no-fly zone to create a buffer zone at the border, a position reiterated by NATO on Friday.

The Patriot, or “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target,” came into its own during the 1991 Gulf War when it was deployed to protect allies and US forces from Iraqi Scud missiles.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on a visit to an airbase in southeast Turkey that his biggest concern was that Assad’s regime might resort to chemical weapons in desperation.

On the ground, Syrian troops bombed southern districts of Damascus on Friday, while rebels and soldiers battled around two military schools in the north of the country, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Nationwide at least 48 people were killed on Friday, including 24 rebels, the Britain-based Observatory reported.         

AFP