US, Turkey plan for the worst

ISTANBUL (AP):

United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Turkey's foreign minister said yesterday that their countries are creating a formal structure to plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria, including a possible chemical weapons attack on regime opponents.

Clinton and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said their two nations would set up a working group to respond to the crisis in Syria as conditions there deteriorate. They said the group will coordinate military, intelligence and political responses to the potential fallout in the case of a chemical attack, which would result in medical emergencies and a likely rise in the number of refugees fleeing Syria.

"We have been closely coordinating over the course of this conflict, but now we need to get into the real details of such operational planning. It needs to be across both of our governments," said Clinton.

Violence in Syria has escalated despite a campaign by the US, Turkey and its allies to apply diplomatic and economic pressure on the Syrian regime, and they have said they are supplying Syrian rebels with non-lethal aid, including communications equipment.