Syrian police kill a PKK demonstrator

The Syrian police killed one Kurdish demonstrator at a pro-PKK rally outside the Syrian village of Qamishli over the weekend. About 200 kurds had gathered there to show support for their PKK allies in northern Iraq and southern Turkey. The PKK, which advocates for a kurdish state in the region, has been involved in military skirmishes with the Turkish government after the PKK killed a dozen Turkish soldiers and kidnapped several others.  They have since been released.

Syria has strengthened its ties with Turkey recently. The two countries are discussing opening their borders for trade as Turkey clamps down on its own border with Northern Iraq, where the PKK is headquartered.

Syria has a sizeable kurdish population in the northern part of the country.

Israel to Turkey: Sorry, we might have invaded your airspace

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apologized to Turkey on Sunday for possibly invading Turkish airspace. Mr. Olmert refrained from admitting that it was during a Sept. 6 air strike on a Syrian military site.

Israel has yet to officially admit it carried out the strike. Turkish authorities have complained that Israel dropped fuel tanks on the country during the operation.

“If Israeli planes indeed penetrated Turkish airspace, then it was without prior intent or any intent to infringe upon or undermine Turkish sovereignty, which we respect,” a statement from Olmert’s office cited him as telling the Cabinet. In a conversation with Turkey’s prime minister last week, Olmert “expressed Israel’s apologies to the Turkish government and the Turkish people for any harm that might have been caused,” the statement said.