Turkish Foreign Ministry delegation in Damascus on March 6
Syria-Turkey, Politics, 3/1/2000

A delegation representing the Turkish Foreign Ministry led by the former Turkish ambassador in Damascus, Ogore Reyal, will arrive in Damascus on March 6 in a serious attempt to hold talks on the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates and to conclude official agreements that can replace the temporary agreement of 1987, linking this to signing a new security agreement that can also replace the Adanah agreement of 1998.

In statements quoted by the correspondent of the Monte Carlo radio in Ankara on Tuesday, Reyal expressed his optimism for the success of these talks, especially as they have been held for the first time without any pressure and in an atmosphere of confidence between Syria and Turkey.

The Monte Carlo radio correspondent said it was learned from Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit that he had agreed to give wider authority to the Turkish negotiating delegation to Syria in order to work for formulating a declaration of principles between Turkey and Syria. It was also learned that Turkish Foreign Minister Ismael Cem might head for Damascus to sign this new declaration.

It was also learned that the Turkish side will try during these talks to convince Damascus of the idea of reducing the share of the waters of the Euphrates to every country it passes through according to its needs instead of equally dividing the waters of this river, under the pretext that the population in Turkey and its agricultural and water projects make it more needful of water than Syria, taking into account that water resources have started to decrease.

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