Former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam revealed in an interview with the Turkish newspaper “Al-Sabah” that it was Jamil al-Assad, the brother of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, who invited Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey, to Syria. Khaddam confirmed that the next press interview with him would be held in Damascus in a few months. He expressed his belief that Assad’s intention was to use Ocalan as a bargaining chip against Turkey.
Khaddam stated that the leadership of the Revolutionary Council of the Baath Party decided to expel Ocalan from Syrian territory after the Turkish-Syrian crisis. He also mentioned that Ocalan left Damascus airport on a regular passenger plane to Cyprus.
Moreover, Khaddam disclosed that the Islamic Group in Lebanon had offered to mediate between Turkey and the PKK organization. However, the leadership of the Turkish armed forces refused to negotiate with Ocalan, despite the fact that former Turkish Prime Minister Necmetdin Erbakan agreed to the group’s mediation.
The newspaper announced that it would publish the second part of the interview on Saturday, which would focus on the assassination of President Rafik Hariri