Syria: Gov't calls Turkey out on 'hostile behavior'

The Syrian foreign ministry on Thursday accused Turkey of ''hostile behavior'' after Turkish authorities on Wednesday intercepted a Syrian passenger jet en route from Moscow to Damascus. The airliner ''was not carrying weapons or illegal materials of any kind,'' the ministry said in a communique. Turkish fighter jets diverted the A-320 plane, carrying some 30 passengers, 17 of them reportedly Russian nationals, and grounded it for more than eight hours on suspicion it was carrying military equipment. Also on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin postponed to December 3 his trip to Ankara for a Turkish-Russian Cooperation Council meeting, scheduled for Monday. Meanwhile the Turkish foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador, Vladimir Ivanovsky, and denied Russian charges that it endangered Russian lives when it intercepted the plane, Anadolu news agency reported. Turkish Airlines has rerouted flights over Syrian territory to alternative routes, on the recommendation of the authorities.