ANKARA - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said Tuesday that he would go ahead with a planned visit next month to neighbouring Syria despite US unhappiness at Ankara's soft stance toward Damascus.
"Of course, we will go (to Syria)," Sezer said, questioned by reporters at the presidential palace.
Analysts say Sezer's planned April visit could be interpreted as support for Syria at a time when it is under mounting international pressure to end its military presence in Lebanon.
Turkey, enjoying greatly improved relations with its southern neighbour after years of tension, has largely kept silent in recent weeks as its western allies issued call after call for a Syrian troop withdrawal.
Earlier this week, the US ambassador here urged Ankara to join the rest of the international community in pushing for an immediate and complete Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.
"What can be said on Syria is that the international community is completely unanimous on UN Security Council Resolution 1559," which calls on Syria to immediately pull out of Lebanon, Eric Edelman was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency.
"We hope Turkey will join the international community. Of course, the decision to do so lies with Turkey," Edelman said.
Relations between Ankara and Washington are already dimmed over Iraq, while Turkey and Syria in contrast have greatly improved their ties since 1998, when they came to the brink of war over Ankara's accusations that Damascus was sheltering separatist Kurdish militants fighting the Turkish government.
Tensions eased when Damascus expelled Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan and signed a security deal with Ankara, pledging to stop supporting Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers' Party, better known as the PKK.
Turkey has sought closer ties with Syria since the US-led invasion of Iraq, despite warnings from Washington to limit its cooperation with Damascus.
Sevreral bilateral visits have since taken place, the last one in December by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
03/16/2005 11:23 GMT