BBC - Syria said it engaged the aircraft in its airspace "according to
the laws that govern such situations"

Turkey has called a meeting of Nato member states to discuss its
response to the shooting down of one of its warplanes by Syrian forces
on Friday.

Ankara has invoked Article 4 of Nato's charter, under which
consultations can be requested when an ally feels their security is
threatened, officials say.

Earlier, Turkey's foreign minister said the F-4 Phantom was in
international airspace when it was shot down.

Syria has insisted the jet was engaged while it was inside its airspace.

It has also said no act of hostility was intended, noting that as soon
as the military discovered the "unidentified" aircraft was Turkish its
navy joined efforts to rescue the two crew members.

But Turkey's Nato allies condemned Syria for the act.

"The United States condemns this brazen and unacceptable act in the
strongest possible terms," said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"It is yet another reflection of the Syrian authorities' callous
disregard for international norms, human life, and peace and security".

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Syrian military's actions
were "outrageous" and underlined "how far beyond accepted behaviour the
Syrian regime has put itself".

Turkey's decision to call a Nato meeting to discuss the downing of one
of its warplanes by Syrian air defences is a measure of the seriousness
of the situation. But it also sends a signal that, for now, Ankara is
looking for a concerted diplomatic response rather than taking military
action of its own.

Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty allows for countries to consult
together whenever "in the opinion of any of them, the territorial
integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is
threatened".

Turkey might have sought such consultations at earlier stages in the
Syrian crisis, prompted for example by the flood of refugees across its
borders or shells fired by Syria landing on its territory.

Nato's deliberations will raise the pressure on the Syrian regime, but
it is hard to see them having any practical effect in terms of
convincing President Bashar al-Assad to relinquish power.

The Turkish foreign ministry said it knew the coordinates of the jet,
which was in Syrian territorial waters at a depth of 1,300m (4,265ft),
but has not yet found it.

The coast guard is still searching for the crew in the Mediterranean
Sea, though hopes are fading of them being found alive.

The government has also issued a diplomatic protest note to Syria.

Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the North Atlantic Council, the
principal political decision-making body within the military alliance,
would meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the incident.

"Turkey has requested consultations under Article 4 of Nato's founding
Washington Treaty," she told Reuters.

"Under article 4, any ally can request consultations whenever, in the
opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political
independence or security is threatened."

Turkey wants to be sure of the strongest backing once it decides its
official response, reports the BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul.

The government has promised that it will be strong, decisive and
legitimate, and that it will share all the information it has with the
public.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu became the first senior
Turkish official to challenge Syria's account of the downing of the jet.

After lengthy meetings with military chiefs, he told TRT state
television that the unarmed jet had "momentarily" entered Syrian
airspace by mistake on Friday but had left when it was shot down 15
minutes later.

"According to our conclusions, our plane was shot down in international
airspace, 13 nautical miles (24km) from Syria," he said.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the aircraft was unarmed, and on a
routine training mission

According to international law, a country's airspace extends 12 nautical
miles (22.2km) from its coastline, corresponding with its territorial
waters.

Mr Davutoglu also insisted that the jet had not been on a "covert
mission related to Syria" but had instead been carrying out a training
flight to test Turkey's radar capabilities.

He said the plane had not "shown any hostility", been clearly marked as
Turkish, and that he did not agree with the Syrian military's statement
that it had not known to whom it belonged.
'Unidentified target'

The Turkish military said it lost radio contact with the F-4 Phantom at
11:58 (08:58 GMT) on Friday while it was flying over Hatay province,
about 90 minutes after it took off from Erhac airbase in the province of
Malatya, to the north-west.

Later, the Syrian military said an "unidentified air target" had
penetrated Syrian airspace from the west at 11:40 local time (08:40
GMT), travelling at very low altitude and at high speed.

It said that in line with the laws prevailing in such cases, Syrian air
defences engaged the craft, and scored a direct hit about 1km (0.5
nautical miles) from its coastline.

It burst into flames, and crashed into the sea at a point 10km (5
nautical miles) from the village of Om al-Tuyour, off the coast of
Latakia province, well within Syrian territorial waters, the statement
added.

Relations between Nato-member Turkey and Syria, once close allies, have
deteriorated sharply since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad began in March 2011. More than 30,000 Syrian refugees have fled
the violence across the border into Turkey.
Alleged flightpath of downed Turkish F-4 Phantom

1. F-4 Phantom takes off from Erhac airbase, Turkey, at approximately
10:28 local time (07:28 GMT), on 22 June

2. Syria says the jet enters its airspace at 11:40 (08:40 GMT)

3. Turkish military loses contact with the plane at 11:58 (08:58 GMT),
while it is over Hatay province

4. Syria says its air defences engaged aircraft about 1km (0.5 nautical
miles) from the coast and that it crashed into the sea 10km (5 nautical
miles) west of Om al-Tuyour. Turkey says the plane was 24km (13 nautical
miles) from Syria, which under international law is considered
international airspace

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18568207

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