Clinton: Patriot missile move a message to Syria

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gestures during a press conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels Dec. 5, 2012. / AP Photo

BRUSSELS U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says NATO's decision to send Patriot missiles to Turkey is a clear message to Syria: Turkey is backed by its allies.

Clinton says the Patriots are solely for defensive purposes. But she says Damascus should take it as further evidence of the U.S. and its allies' resolve.

"We've made our views absolutely clear to the Syrians, to the international community, through various channels, public, private, direct, indirect, that this is a situation that the entire international community is united on," Clinton said.

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Hillary Clinton warns Syria on chemical weapons

Speaking at NATO Wednesday, she also reiterated concerns that "an increasingly desperate Assad regime might turn to chemical weapons" or lose control of them to militant groups.

She said both scenarios cross a red line and those responsible would be held accountable.

Clinton said the U.S. and its partners would seek to apply additional pressure on Syria's government at a conference next week in Morocco.

She said the Assad regime must end its violence.

Under NATO agreement, the United States, Germany and the Netherlands will deploy the batteries and set them up inside of Turkey by the beginning of 2013. Syria is believed to have the world's third largest supply of chemical weapons after the U.S. and Russia.

• NATO approves Patriot missiles for Turkey
• U.S. "planning to take action" if Syria uses WMD

Cross-border shelling has killed at least five Turkish civilians in past months. The Patriot shield will protect Turks and the Syrian refugees who have swarmed into overflowing refugee camps on the Turkish side of the border, CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan reports. The U.S. estimates that 130,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Turkish camps.

A U.S. official traveling with Clinton told CBS News that the shield will not carve out a de facto safe haven passage along the Turkish-Syrian border as the Patriots can only be deployed after incoming fire enters Turkish airspace.

CBS

[Wim_Roffel]

Turkey is supplying and organizing the insurrection in Syria. That is a clear act of aggression. By helping Turkey to deal with the collateral damage of that act of aggression NATO is becoming an accomplice.

But of course having blood on her hands is nothing new for Clinton. She was happy to have 30,000 Libyans killed in order to have her regime change there. Her happy giggle about the death of Gaddafi has gone viral on YouTube. And the fact that 40,000 people have been died in Syria and that probably even more will die in the future doesn't give Clinton any pause for thought. All she cares about is "winning" another regime change.

[judymar14]

Ditto...The same for Obama.

[bilrobi1]

Obama? Are you talking about Our President who will be taking The Oath of Office for his second term. Is that the guy? You know the one who was just elected by the majority of voters in this country. Is that the guy? He seems to be around the White House quite a bit these days. Where has he gone recently? There was that recent trip to Asia. That's what Presidents are supposed to do. It's nice to have a President that is actually welcome in another country. Is that who you are talking about?

[eroteme2]

Hillary, you have been galavanting around the world ever since you took office. Why not return to the U.S.? Your office is in the State Depatment building in Washington DC. On C Street NW I bellieve. Surely someone would be available to assist you if you cannot find it.

[bilrobi1]

The Secretary Of State is supposed to travel to other countries. It's called diplomacy. Look it up.