Turkey opposes unilateral steps or intervention aimed at "regime change" in Syria, the reports said, but it has not ruled out the possibility of more extensive military action if security forces began committing large-scale massacres. ...
Radikal's Yetkin said the Turkish military could establish a buffer zone if the Syrian army advanced on a city, like Aleppo, close to the Turkish border.
Columnist Asli Aydintasbas of Milliyet newspaper wrote: "Foreign ministry sources added that Turkey could set up a no-fly buffer zone within Syria if Syrians fleeing the army create a mass wave of migration to Turkey.
"A more extensive military intervention could come on the table only if Syrian regime starts a large-scale massacre in a big city such as Aleppo or Damascus," Aydintasbas added.
"Ankara could take a role in a military intervention against Syria only with the international community and following a U.N. Security Council decision."
The Turkish government leaked these thoughts to their press. So clearly it is to pressure Assad to step aside. The buffer zone concept and no-fly zone are easy to imagine. Regime change should the situation dissolve into civil war and threaten to send waves of refugees into Turkey is, too.
But I find it hard to imagine Turkey getting UN Security Council approval, given Russian and Chinese regrets about allowing a resolution to pass regarding Khaddafi that was used to justify regime change depsite the fact that the reolution specificaly ruled that out. I can't imagine Russia or China allowing any resolution that allows NATO to take any military steps.
Still, if there is chaos, Turkey would find itself compelled to intervene with or without international blessings, I'd say.
Turkey will have to be careful, however, since Syria does have lots of chemical weapons and ballistic missiles. Assad might use them on Turkish forces inside Syria if he thinks they are his only weapon to allow him to survive.
