Demirel in al-Iskandaroun: the last warning to Syria
Syria-Turkey, Politics, 10/20/1998

Turkish officials on Monday pressured Syria in the security negotiations that started between the two countries' high-ranking security officials on the Turkish side of the border in the first meeting between the two sides since the beginning of the crisis.

Turkish President Suleiman Demirel sent his "last warning" to Damascus from al-Iskandaroun. He stressed the need for Damascus to halt any sort of support to the Kurdistani Workers Party, led by Abdullah Oclan, while Demirel stressed that he is not in Syria.

Meanwhile, Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin accused Syria of sending army officers to fight with the Kurdistani Workers Party. He stressed that, "Ankara will do what is necessary if the problem is not settled by diplomatic means."

The Syrian official was careful to resort to the "language of reason," despite the fact they have been criticizing the Turkish "provocation."

Demirel warned Syria implicitly against any territorial demands in the al-Iskandaroun Sanjak. He was quoted as saying in a speech at Samandagh district near the borders with Syria, "We do not have greedy ambitions in the lands of others, and the one who has ambitions in our lands will hit his head on the wall."

France ceded the Syrian Sanjak to Turkey as a gift to side with her during World War II.

Previous Stories:
  Starting talks between Turkey and Syria   (10/19/1998)
  Askandaroun Sanjak and the International Court of Justice   (10/17/1998)
  Syria bans Kurdistani Workers Party activities, Turkish ambassador: No regional dispute   (10/15/1998)

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