Around 600 foreign troops are expected to accompany six Patriot missile systems to be deployed in Turkey to reinforce the NATO member country's air defence and calm its fears of coming under a possible missile attack from neighboring Syria. Local newspaper Today's Zaman reported that the surface-to-air batteries, able to intercept ballistic missiles, are expected to be transported to Turkey by sea within four or five weeks. A team of NATO experts recently visited Turkey to survey the possible sites for the deployment, and have submitted their report to Ankara and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The United States, Germany and the Netherlands, the only three NATO nations with the most modern type of Patriots, have all agreed to send missiles to protect their ally. Each battery to be sent to Turkey reportedly has four to six missile launchers and each launcher has the capacity of launching 16 missiles.

The Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline along Iraq-Turkish border has once again been attacked. A blast took place on Sunday night in Mardin province, north of Turkey’s border with Syria. A fire caused by the explosion continued to burn on Monday. It has knocked off the oil flow from the pipeline, which carries about one fourth of Iraqi crude oil exports.

The Turkish Energy Ministry said the repairs were expected to take about to 10 days. Reports from Firat News Agency, close to the banned Kurdistan Wokers Party, said the PKK rebels carried out the blast.

NATO has condemned the downing of Turkish fighter plane by Syria as an unacceptable act. The foreign ministers of NATO at an emergency session in Brussels have condemned the act in strongest terms.

The NATO Secretary General Anderson Rasmussen told that the act shows Syrian disregard for international norms, peace, security and human life. He said that NATO is seized of the matter and will continue to follow the situation.

Rasmussen told that the NATO stands together with Turkey in this hour of crisis. The meeting was called under Article 4 of NATO Charter at the request of Turkey which calls for consultation in case of threat to security, integrity and territorial rights of a member nation.

Earlier today, Turkish Prime Minster Tayyip Erdogan told parliament in Ankara that the Turkish fighter plane was shot down by Syria in the international airspace. He termed it as a hostile act. Syria however denied the charges and said the plane plane violated its airspace and was downed in an act of self defence.

Turkey says, it will seek the support of its NATO allies on the row with Syria over downing of its fighter jet in the international airspace, off the mediterranean coast, last week. Syria says, the plane violated its airspace and was downed in an act of self-defence, while Turkey has alleged the move as an act of aggression. NATO leaders are holding a special meeting in Brussels over the issue today. It is only the second time in NATO’s 63-year history that it has convened a meeting under Article 4 of its charter which provides for consultations when a member state feels its territorial integrity, political independence or security is under threat. The only other time NATO was convened under Article 4, was in 2003 to discuss the Iraq war, again at the request of Turkey. Damascus has warned Turkey and NATO against retaliation. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jihad Makkdissi said, NATO is supposed to be there to strengthen countries and if their meeting is for hostile reasons, Syria is not scared. In a letter to UN security Council, Turkey condemned the hostile act by the Syrian authorities against Turkey’s national security and that it posed a serious threat to peace and security in the region. After a seven hour long meeting of the Turkish Cabinet yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said in Ankara that Syria’s actions would not go unpunished. He however clarified that any action would be taken as per the international laws. The incident has raised tensions in the region. Turkey hosts a large number of Syrian refugees and rebels along the Syrian border and Syria alleges they are being armed to destabilize the country.

In Turkey, four people were kidnapped today by the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in the eastern province of Tuncel. According to Tuncel Deputy Governor Ali Guldogan, a group of PKK members stopped a vehicle carrying five road workers in Uzuntarla village of the province and kidnapped four of them before setting the vehicle on fire. This is the second PKK kidnapping in a week. On Tuesday, the group has kidnapped 10 people in Turkey's eastern province of Igdir.

An American national has been arrested at the IGI airport in New Delhi allegedly with 23 live cartridges. The police today said, during security check at the time of boarding, some suspicious items were found in Worn's baggage. Police said no firearms were recovered from Jeffrey Jinnin Worn, who was about to board a Turkish Airlines flight yesterday. The passenger accepted that bullets belongs to him and he brought from the US. But he was not holding valid license for the same. A case under Section 25 of Arms Act was registered in this connection.

In Turkey, a parliamentary committee is due to start work on the country's first fully civilian constitution. The aim is to draft a simpler and more democratic charter to replace the existing constitution, which was drawn up under military rule 30 years ago. 

It gave great powers to the military, curbed individual rights and largely ignored the country's minorities, including the Kurds. 

Talks between negotiators from Iran and six of the world's top powers are on in the Turkish capital Istanbul to discuss Tehran's nuclear activities. Representatives of the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany are participating in the talks with the Iranian negotiators. 

The talks are the first to be held between Iran and the world's major powers for 15 months. On Friday, the US National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes called the talks a good first step. US President Barack Obama has described this as a last chance for diplomacy to work, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran had to demonstrate clearly in the actions they propose that they have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition.

Tehran has faced Western sanctions over accusations that it is trying to develop a nuclear bomb. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful use. The world powers hope eventually to persuade Iran to reduce its enrichment of uranium and fully open up its nuclear facilities to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency

Turkish city Istanbul has been confirmed as the venue for a next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the UN Security Council plus Germany (G5+1) slated for next week.
It was previously reported that the six world powers and Iran will meet in Istanbul on April 13 and 14 for talks over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme. But Iran recently proposed that Iraq and some other countries should also be considered as the venue for the talks.

Turkey says the number of Syrian citizens taking shelter in Turkey stood at 17,655 on Wednesday. The Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate on Wednesday said 12 more Syrians went back to their country following a returning trend started last week, while 366 others crossed into Turkey. The Directorate said Turkey is providing shelter, food, health, security, education, communication and religious services to Syrians who escaped from clashes in their country and took shelter in the country. It also said 2,150 Syrian children are receiving pre-school, elementary and high school education in 68 classes formed at the tent sites in Hatay province. Turkey, once a close ally of Damascus, has imposed on Syria a series of sanctions, including an arms embargo, due to its alleged crackdown on protesters.

Turkey has closed its embassy in Syria because of what Turkish officials say is the worsening security situation in that country. Turkey warned its citizens in Syria last week that it planned to suspend services at the embassy in Damascus and urged them to return home. Turkey has become increasingly vocal in urging an end to the bloodshed in neighbouring Syria. 

About 17,000 Syrian refugees have poured across the border into Turkey to escape the fighting.