On Syrian - Turkish relations

The Turkish daily Mellit said in its Wednesday's issue that the bridge established between Ankara and Damascus at the level of the commander general of the Turkish police force Itach Yalman who recently visited Damascus has won great importance in terms of the political aspect pursued towards Iraq and the region, noting that the Turkish foreign ministry pays great interest to the contacts the Yalman made in Damascus, on the ground that Yalman is considered the founder of Adanah agreement (When Syria and Turkey signed a security agreement) which is by itself considered a turning point in the relations with Syria.

The paper said that the Turkish foreign ministry sees that Syria constitutes a bridge towards a joint work with Turkey concerning the territorial integrity of the Iraqi lands, adding that Ankara's aim is to get Syria's support to side with it in this regard.

The paper indicated that the Turkish foreign ministry views with great gratitude over the very positive atmosphere Lt. Gen. Yalman carried with him from Damascus.

The paper said that the Turkish foreign ministry aims at initiating similar bridges with other countries in the region similar to the bridge it has already built with Damascus at a high level, noting that the Turkish foreign ministry is making contacts at higher levels with both Iran and Jordan to this effect.

The paper concluded as saying that even if means are blocked to foil intervention in Iraq, the diplomatic campaign launched by Ankara with the aim of obstructing the partition of Iraq is met positively by the countries of the region.