OTTAWA - As the U.S. and Turkey admit they're thinking about imposing a no-fly zone over civil war-ravaged Syria, Canada is staying on the sidelines.

"Canada is not contemplating military action," said Joseph Lavoie, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says any American-Turkish talks don't involve Canada at this point.

"There are currently no plans for Canadian military assistance in Syria," MacKay said in a statement. "We must take every diplomatic measure that is available to us. Canada will continue to work with our allies to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Syria."

Neither MacKay not Baird indicated when or if Canada's position could change.

A no-fly zone would mean disabling Syrian air defences and sending fighter planes to shoot down any jets or helicopters Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad uses on rebels or civilians.

Libyan rebels were able to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi last year, only after NATO and several Arab states imposed a no-fly zone over the country.

Still, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says there is no decision imminent on a no-fly zone for Syria, but this is the first indication there may be an appetite in Washington for some kind of Western military intervention.

Clinton was in Turkey on Saturday to meet Ahmet Davutoglu, that country's foreign affairs minister. She says they agreed a no-fly zone or other forms of direct military action "need greater in-depth analysis."

Both Russia and China strongly oppose such measures in Syria.