Khaddam heads for Ankara today

Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam starts a visit to Turkey which will last for two days. A visit which was described as "friendly during which he will hand over a message from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to his Turkish counterpart Ahmad Najdat Ceasar pertaining to bilateral relations and regional conditions."

While diplomatic sources reported that Khaddam's visit is in preparation for a forthcoming visit to be held by al-Assad at the invitation of Ceasar he extended to al- Assad upon his participation in the funeral of the late President Hafez al-Assad, Syrian official sources did not comment on the possibility of fulfilling this visit by President al-Assad.

Khaddam's visit today to Turkey is the first for a high ranking Syrian official since the two countries had signed Adanah security agreement in 1998. An agreement which ended the crisis between them when Ankara built up its forces on the northern borders of Syria following accusations against Syria of backing " the Kurdistan Labor Party" and giving shelter to its leader Abdullah Ocalaan.

After signing the Adanah security agreement, the two sides formed a joint work committee chaired by the Turkish foreign minister to put " the declaration of principles " that organizes bilateral relations in the political, economic, trade, cultural. Water and border relations.

However, the work of this committee is impeded by the two points of " the waters and the borders." Syria demands Ankara of signing a final statement that ensures a fair partition for the waters of the Euphrates while Turkey calls on Syria to demarcate the borders. A matter which Damascus opposes because of the problem of al-Iskandaroun Sanjak which was ceded from Syria and annxed by Turkey in the 1930s.

Although the Turkish authorities had inspected an Iranian plane heading for Damascus under suspect of carrying weapons and aids to Hizbullah party. An incident that was expected not to be satisfactorily viewed by Damascus, however, the Syrian official news Agency ( SANA) announced on Wednesday the news on Khaddam's visit to Ankara.