DAMASCUS - Vice President Abd al-Halim Khaddam of Syria has said that very good developments had occurred in Turkey-Syria relations, adding that Turkey would have an important future in the region.
Khaddam, who is considered the second authority in Syria, received on Tuesday Anadolu Agency (A.A) Director General and Executive Board Chairman Dr. Hilmi Bengi.
Speaking at the meeting, Bengi reminded that they came to Damascus on Sunday night as the guest of the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) and that they signed an agreement envisaging exchange of news stories between the A.A and the SANA. He expressed his wish that the agreement would make a valuable contribution to the bilateral relations between Turkey and Syria.
Meanwhile, Syrian Vice President Khaddam pointed out that very good developments had occurred in Turkey-Syria relations, and underlined that the press had a significant role in efforts to further improve bilateral relations.
Highlighting importance of visit of A.A Director General and Executive Board Chairman Bengi to Syria to this end, Khaddam said, ''Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's visit to Turkey has led to a very significant opening in further improvement of the bilateral relations between our countries. We hope that this opening would continue by developing further. Our bilateral relations have been improving in every field perfectly. We experienced some tensions in the past. We call them as silent tension. Neither Turkey nor Syria acquired anything from that period of tension. I seriously believe that development of Ankara-Damascus relations will make a significant contribution to efforts to solve the regional problems. We are pleased with it. There are many affinities between Turkey and Syria such as our common culture, mutual interests and a common history. You will see great works of arts of the Ottoman Empire in every place in Syria. I want to greet Turkish people with my sincere respect. I wish that Turkish people will have a brilliant future. We consider Turkey a very precious neighboring country. As a stable country, Turkey will have a significant future in the region.''
Noting that State Minister Kursad Tuzmen would come to Syria with a delegation of Turkish businessmen on Wednesday, Khaddam reminded that Turkish and Syrian sides had decided to establish a free trade zone during President Bashar al-Assad's meetings with both President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. He stressed that they considered it very important.
Emphasizing that facilities to be provided by free zones would make a significant contribution to commercial developments, Khaddam accentuated that obstacles preventing Turkish and Syrian businessmen should be removed, adding that if all these obstacles were removed, trade between Turkey and Syria would reach a significant level.
Highlighting importance of promotion in development of commercial relations, Khaddam said, ''producers and consumers of both countries should well-know each other's capacities. Syrian people should be informed on production activities in Turkey and in return, Turkish people should be briefed on production in Syria. Our countries should prioritize each other's goods in their commercial relations. In that case, commercial developments will increase. Mutual visits are of importance to this end. Therefore, we attribute great importance to the scheduled visit of State Minister Tuzmen and Turkish businessmen.''
Underlining importance of fairs in commercial developments, Khaddam said that they should open fairs mutually in other cities except for Ankara and Damascus.
Referring to recent regional developments, Khaddam said that the Middle East had still been under extremely difficult and critical conditions. He listed two most important problems in the region as Arab-Israeli dispute and developments in Iraq.
''One of these problems stem from Israel's resorting to violence against Palestinian people and its disrespect to resolutions of the United Nations,'' he said, noting that the United States had been fully supporting Israel.
''The second problem has emerged as a result of occupation of Iraq. There have been extremely difficult conditions in Iraq stemming from the occupation. These conditions have been jeopardizing stability in the region. We have serious concerns about the current situation in Iraq. We opposed to the occupation of Iraq. But we did not advocate the regime in Iraq as we were opposing to the occupation. However, we were aware of the problems to be led by a war. We did not want Iraq's integrity to be disrupted. Unfortunately, Iraq's integrity is under threat. It is being destroyed gradually. We feared for ethnic and sectarian clashes. Now, Iraq has been suffering from such clashes. These developments will exceed borders of Iraq and have negative impacts on the other countries. We fear that the whole region would be affected,'' he said.
Criticizing the United States' project for a rebuilding process in the region, Khaddam said, ''they put forward stereotyped projects as if the regional people are deprived of their own culture, history and past. This reminds us the past. Following the World War I, some countries developed many projects to share Ottoman territories. Western countries came to the region by claiming that they would develop it, however, they had done nothing but exploitation. Now, all these are to be repeated. Once again, they claim to develop the region. In fact, they will make us their colonies both economically and also culturally. It is more dangerous. They aim to change our culture and identity. If we lose our culture and identity, what will be our position in the world? Therefore, regional peoples are obliged to display solidarity against all these developments. We do not want disputes in our region. In such a critical period, Turkey and Syria will have serious responsibilities. According to my point of view, Arab-Turkey-Iran co-operation is of great importance to this end. Of course, there may be some unimportant disagreement among us. It is quite normal. However, if there are more important things, we should forget such unimportant problems and concentrate on more serious matters.''
Upon a question about the U.S. administration's Greater Middle East Initiative and Ankara's mediation, Khaddam said, ''we knew Turkey's views. Turkey wants modernization of the region to be conducted by regional peoples themselves. At this very point, official attitudes of Turkey, Arabs and Iran concurred. We want a peaceful solution to Arab-Israeli dispute on the basis of resolutions of the United Nations. If the dispute is overcome, the region will relieve. The main problem stems from Israel. A Jewish state was founded after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Jewish people from all over the world migrated to Palestine. The only state is Israel which does not have a map and borders.''
''Although the sides had reached the point of agreement in talks held in Washington D.C. during presidency of Bill Clinton, the peace process was destroyed after assassination of then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel in 1995. Peace cannot be reached with occupation. Therefore, we consider Turkey's dealing with the problem important. If Turkey can succeed in solving the dispute, a historic solution will be achieved in the region. Turkish officials listened to our views about all these issues during visit of President al-Assad to Turkey,'' Khaddam added.
(UK-AÖ) 02.03.2004