Hillary: I Support Syria No-Fly Zone, But 'That Doesn't Mean' Shooting At Aircraft That Violate It

Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that while she supports a no-fly zone in Syria, “that doesn’t mean you shoot at every aircraft that might violate it the first or second time” in an interview broadcast on Friday’s “Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC.

When asked if she would shoot down any aircraft that violated and refused the no-fly zone that she supports instituting over Syria, Hillary answered, “Well, that’s a hypothetical that i think there are many steps you’d have to go through and decisions you have to make before you ever get to that. NATO did have to warn the Russians because they were invading Turkish airspace, a NATO ally. They were escorted out. Part of the reason I have proposed a no-fly zone as a coalition effort, not a United States solo effort, is to have conversations with the Russians at the table, because the goal of any no-fly zone is not only to provide safe areas for Syrians, so they don’t have to be fleeing or continue to be bombed by Assad, supported now by the Russians, but to get some leverage to get everybody at the table to try to create as much of a ceasefire, including the Assad forces with the Russians and the Iranians as well. one of the ways you do that diplomatically is you put out some ideas like, you know what, we’re going to talk about a no-fly zone. In fact, I thought it was interesting, on the other side of the argument here Putin is now saying okay, now we can talk diplomatically, because we’re changing the situation on the ground, and therefore we should come and have some diplomatic consultation. I think the no-fly zone which the Turks have asked for for a long time, and humanitarian organizations have, is a device as well as a potential outcome, to see how we get people to the table, and the Russians would be certainly warned. There’s been military discussions now to, as they say, deconflict air space. So, I think it would be highly unlikely if this were done in the right way –.”

Host Rachel Maddow then cut in, “but ultimately a no-fly zone is an anti-aircraft proposition.” Hillary responded, “It is, but that doesn’t mean you shoot at every aircraft that might violate it the first or second time.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett