A Turkish newspaper has quoted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad saying he regrets that his forces shot down a Turkish military jet last month.
The Cumhuriyet newspaper published comments from Mr. Assad Tuesday in which the leader insisted the jet was flying in Syrian airspace that had been used by Israeli planes three times in the past.
Turkey says the jet entered by mistake and had flown back to international airspace before Syria shot it down on June 22. The paper quoted Mr. Assad saying he would not hesitate to apologize for the attack if the Turkish account were true.
He also downplayed the possibility of the situation between Turkey and Syria escalating, saying it will not turn into “armed conflict.”
Turkey has increased its defenses along the border with Syria, a move the paper quoted Mr. Assad as saying his country will not match.
Also Tuesday, Human Rights Watch issued a new report accusing the Syrian government of torturing and abusing detainees at 27 facilities across the country.
The group says it interviewed detainees who experienced or witnessed prolonged beatings, the use of stress positions and electricity, sexual assault and mock executions. It also says the detainees were kept in overcrowded cells, and denied adequate food and medical attention.
The report lists torture sites in the capital, Damascus, as well as in Homs, Idlib, Aleppo, Daraa and Latakia.
Human Rights Watch says the ill-treatment amounts to crimes against humanity. It urged the United Nations Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
The Security Council is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss recommendations from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the future of the currently suspended observer mission in Syria.
The head of the mission suspended operations on June 16 due to safety risks to the 300 observers in Syria. The U.N. said attackers targeted the observer team several times with gunfire and bombs.
Mr. Ban said in a statement late Monday that the Syrian people and the region “cannot afford more atrocities, suffering and chaos.” He also welcomed an international plan for a transitional government in Syria and said he hoped an opposition conference in Cairo will contribute to creating a “meaningful transition.”
