NATO preparing to give Turkey Patriot missiles

ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday that NATO is preparing to give Turkey Patriot missiles for deployment along the Turkish-Syrian border, local newspaper Today's Zaman reported on its website.

Davutoglu made the remarks in Brussels following earlier statements by some other Turkish officials that Turkey is in talks with the United States and NATO over the deployment of Patriot missiles along its border with Syria.

Turkey considers Patriot missiles on its territories as a security precaution against a potential military offensive by Syria, as Syrian shelling on Turkish southern border has prompted mounting tensions between the two countries.

Turkey and the United States are considering deploying missiles in Turkish southern Kilis province, according to the report.

In the past, Turkey requested the deployment of Patriot missile defense systems on its territory twice in the context of battles in Iraq, respectively in the early 1990s and the 2000s.