Russia wary of NATO missiles in Turkey

The deployment of a Patriot air defense system along the Turkey-Syria border means NATO is involved in the Syrian conflict, Russia\'s NATO envoy said Friday. Alexander Grushko expressed Russia\'s concerns about the plan during a meeting with the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels, RIA Novosti reported. Russia is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. \"This involvement can become [or] might accelerate ... an incident or provocation,\" Grushko said. \"Previously, the alliance officials have repeatedly said that Syria is not Libya, and NATO doesn\'t have a role in the Syrian conflict,\" he said, referring to last year\'s multi-state military intervention in Libya. Turkey, a NATO member, requested the deployment of Patriot missiles inside its borders, saying the defense system was necessary to protect its border with war-torn Syria. NATO officials said the missiles systems won\'t be used to set up a no-fly zone or to conduct offensive operations. Russia has been critical of the plan, saying it could further escalate the conflict. NATO officials began surveying sites along the Turkey-Syria border this week.