Syrian-Turkish security committee started positive, successful meetings
Syria-Turkey, Politics, 2/24/1999

The Turkish ambassador in Damascus has announced that the meetings of the Syrian-Turkish security committee which started its works in Damascus on Tuesday were "positive and successful" and were held in "positive atmospheres."

The ambassador said Turkey is pleased with the progress of the Syrian - Turkish security agreement which was signed in October 1998. He said that relations between the two countries are "proceeding in the right direction towards better prospects."

The Turkish ambassador added that discussions during the meeting dealt with "matters relating to security issues, under debate" between the two countries. He denied that the talks had tackled the question of Kurdistani Workers Party chairman Abdullah Ocalan, currently being held in Turkey.

The Kurdish leader provoked a crisis between Damascus and Ankara as a result of Ankara's accusations against the Syrian side of providing haven to Ocalan and supporting his party, a matter which is denied by the Syrian government.

Well-informed sources in Damascus said the participants in the meeting also discussed the mechanism of implementing the Adanah agreement in which the two sides pledged not to permit any activity to undermine the stability of Turkey as starting from the Syrian territories, on the grounds of similar treatment by the Turkish side.

The mechanism also includes the establishment of a hotline between senior security officials in the two countries and the nomination of two special employees in the diplomatic missions in each of the two countries and seting up a follow-up system to find out the extent of implementation by the two countries.

Previous Stories:
  Syrian - Turkish security committee meets today in Damascus   (2/23/1999)
  Turkish army commander to visit Damascus today   (2/23/1999)
  Syrian - Turkish security committee to meet on Tuesday   (2/19/1999)

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