Turkey stops cross-border trade with Syria

07/26/12: Al Jazeera reports Turkey is closing its border with Syria to commercial traffic, but will keep it open for refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict.  “We’ve received assurances that it is staying open.  The border is closed for all commercial traffic in both directions, that is what we heard from the Turkish government,” said Sybella Wilkes, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  Earlier, Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said the border posts would be sealed off due to the deteriorating security situation along the border.  “We have serious concerns over the safety of Turkish trucks regarding their entry and return from Syria,” Caglayan said, noting that there had already been an 87 percent drop in trucks travelling to Syria this year.