Turkey calls for int'l action on Syria

ANKARA - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Monday the serious conflict was taking place in Syria and he called for the international community to take action on Syria.

Turkey will continue to do everything necessary to protect its borders, Gul told reporters in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

"Our government is in constant consultation with the Turkish military. Whatever needed is being done immediately as you see, and it will continue to be done from now on too," Gul added.

"Sooner or later a transition will take place. Our hope is that it will happen without any more bloodshed and further destruction of the country. And I think the international community must assume a very active position," said Gul.

Turkey and Syria traded Monday fresh artillery fire for the sixth consecutive day as tensions along the two country's border area mounted to risky escalation of conflict in the region, an official statement said.

Smoke rises after a mortar bomb fired from Syria landed in Turkish soil on the Turkish-Syrian border in southern Hatay province, Oct 8, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

A Syrian mortar shell landed at a vacant area, 2 km south of Hacipasa hamlet of Altinozu town in Turkey's southern province of Hatay at 3 pm local time (1200 GMT) on Monday and was retaliated immediately by Turkish border forces, said the statement issued by Hatay Governor's Office.

The statement said that there were no casualties in the attack and the area where the mortar shell hit was not a settlement area.

Turkey responded after Syrian artillery shells landed on southeastern town of Akcakale on October 3, killing 5 civilians and wounding 10 others.

In an emergency session on Thursday, the Turkish parliament approved a motion for cross-border military operations inside Syria.

Ankara has been complaining about the spillover of Syrian artillery shelling and gunfire into its territory, and has last week said it would act if mortar strikes were repeated from Syria.

Turkey, once an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but now a leading voice urging his ouster, shelters over 90,000 Syrian refugees and has reportedly provided Syrian rebel army leaders with sanctuary.