For procedural reasons: no border visits between Syria and Turkey for this year
Syria-Turkey, Politics, 11/19/2003

Turkish diplomatic sources in Damascus said that the open border meeting between the Syrian and Turkish families on the occasion of Eid al-Fiter was cancelled for this year for "procedural reasons," noting that the Syrian minister of the Interior Ali Hammoud will discuss this matter during his forthcoming visit to Ankara next month.

Mayor of Nsebin border town with Syria Omar Olo had announced that the Syrian officials notified him that "the Eid (holiday) open greetings exchange used to be decided during the Eid vacation between Nseibin town and al-Qamishli governorate were cancelled, giving no mention to reasons."

Olo indicated that an agreement was signed earlier with the Syrian side permiting the Turks to visit their relatives in Syria, but the Syrian officials notified them in the last moment that they want "Eid greetings" not to be inside houses but in tents to be installed for that purpose. A matter which was rejected by the Turkish side.

Turkish diplomatic sources in Damascus said that the abrogation decision came following organizational and procedural problems that took place in 2002 and that "no political reasons are behind that" and that the fears of the Syrian of having these problems being repeating resulted in canceling the meeting for this year, just two years after the implementation of the agreement to organize this open meeting as a good intention initiative between the two countries.

The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be visiting Turkey by the beginning of 2004, while the Turkish prime minister Abdullah Gul is expected to hold talks with his Syrian counterpart Naji Otari in the spring of 1004 in Damascus to be followed by an expected visit of the Turkish president to Syria.

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