ANKARA - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will pay an official visit to neighbouring Syria on April 13-14 for talks on further improving ties between the two former foes, a Turkish official said.
The visit comes against a backdrop of US displeasure with Ankara's improving relations with Damascus at a time when it is under international pressure to end its military presence in Lebanon.
Sezer is expected to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri, said the official, who requested anonymity.
Ankara supports a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, but also says it wants to contribute to developing good neighborly ties in the conflict-torn Middle East.
Turkey and Syria have vastly improved their relations since 1998 when they came to the brink of war as Ankara threatened military action if Damascus continued to shelter Turkish Kurd rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan and his militants.
The tensions eased when Damascus expelled Ocalan and signed a security agreement with Ankara.
Turkey has sought closer ties with Syria since the US-led invasion of Iraq, both countries sharing concerns that post-war Iraq may break up and spark new turmoil in the region.
04/08/2005 10:03 GMT