Signing of 3 Agreements Despite Opposition from Some Turkish Circles
The Syrian and Turkish sides reached an agreement on the main issues discussed by Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam and Turkish officials. Khaddam began these talks with Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahçeli, then met with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, delivering a message from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in which he expressed “Damascus’s sincere desire to develop its relations with Turkey in all fields.”
Khaddam expressed to Al-Qabas his great satisfaction with his discussions with Sezer, saying that Assad would accept the Turkish president’s invitation to visit Ankara. He also extended an official invitation to Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit to visit Damascus.
3 Cooperation Agreements
Turkish diplomatic sources said that Khaddam explained to Ecevit Syria’s position regarding the latest developments in the Middle East. Both sides expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s harsh policies against the Palestinians and emphasized the need to lift the siege on Palestinian areas and reopen Gaza’s airport.
The sources added that Ecevit and Khaddam agreed to sign three political and economic cooperation agreements between the two countries, which include increasing trade exchange and eliminating double taxation. It is expected that the agreements will be signed during Assad’s anticipated visit to Ankara in the coming weeks.
Recognition of Turkish Borders
Syrian delegation sources told Al-Qabas that during all the discussions, the Turkish side did not raise the issue of Iskenderun (Hatay) or security-related topics. Ecevit expressed his satisfaction with Damascus’s commitment to all the provisions of the security cooperation agreement signed on October 20, 1998.
Diplomatic circles highlighted the importance of the positive atmosphere that surrounded the talks and noted that Khaddam’s visit was given special significance, despite reservations from some Turkish circles regarding Turkish-Syrian relations. These circles are calling for Damascus to sign a document called the “Declaration of Principles,” which urges Syria to recognize Turkey’s international borders, including the Iskenderun region.
