Clinton hopes NATO will reach deal on Turkey Patriot missiles

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hopes NATO allies will reach a deal this week on stationing Patriot missiles in Turkey to defend against possible Syrian attacks, senior US officials said. The 28 NATO allies meet in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday. Turkey, which has made a formal request to NATO to help it bolster its air defenses, is a big supporter of rebels fighting to oust Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. It has repeatedly scrambled jets along the countries' joint border and responded in kind when shells from the conflict have landed inside Turkey, underlining fears Syria's 20-month-old revolt could spread to destabilize the region. "We're all positively considering (the request)," a senior State Department official said, briefing reporters en route to Europe, where Clinton started a regional trip with a stop in Prague.