Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam will deliver a message tomorrow from President Bashar al-Assad to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. According to informed sources, Khaddam is expected to pave the way for a visit that Assad plans to make to Turkey before the end of the year, which will mark the growing progress in relations between the two countries following a crisis that nearly sparked a war last year over the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan.
It is expected that Khaddam will discuss the development of relations between the two countries without addressing issues that could lead to a new strain in relations, such as the matter of the Hatay Province (Iskenderun). The Syrians believe that agreements were made in Syria’s name during the French mandate, and they will not renew any agreement on this issue.
