Iranian cleric : Turkey follows West to weaken Syria

Tehran's interim Friday prayer leader, Hojjatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi, said Friday that Turkey is following the West to weaken the "anti-Israel state" of Syria, Press TV reported. Referring to the border tensions between Turkey and Syria, Seddiqi said, "Such moves show that Turkey is following a Western and NATO plan to weaken or destroy an anti-Zionist and anti- American Muslim country which is a thorn in the side of the U.S. and the Zionist (Israeli) regime," according to the report. "Instead of helping insurgents, it (Turkey) should be trying to convince them so that the initiated reforms (in Syria) can be reinforced and national solidarity is created," Seddiqi was quoted as saying. Turkey must prevent its leaders from starting "fratricide" in their Muslim neighbor, he said. Turkey has reinforced military buildup on the border with Syrian after last week's deadly shelling in southern Turkey that left five Turks dead in a border town. Turkey has accused the Syrian government for the incident. The Turkish government was authorized by the parliament for a probable war on Syria if the cross-border shelling was not ceased.