EU condemns Syria for downing Turkish Military Jet

Foreign ministers of the European Union on Monday gathered in a Luxembourg meeting, just days after Syria shot down a Turkish warplane last Friday in international airspace over the Mediterranean. During the meeting, foreign ministers condemned Syria for shooting down a Turkish military plane in the international airspace and expressed gladness over Turkey’s stance on the issue. EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Catherine Ashton said the EU "will be obviously looking to Turkey to be restrained in its response." For his part, British Foreign Secretary William Hague called for increased pressure, but said the jet incident did not fundamentally alter the situation in Syria. Furthermore, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also urged calm, saying that "de-escalation is crucial at this moment."