Ankara seeks to resume dialogue with Damascus

A source close to the Turkish foreign ministry said that Ankara, which accuses Damascus of supporting the Turkish separatist Kurdish Labor Party, is preparing to resume political dialogue with Damascus.

A Turkish diplomatic source said, "We first prefer to resume dialogue on the bilateral level and then tripartite consultation talks might be resumed between Ankara, Damascus and Tehran," adding that "the Syrian side is inclined to resume political contacts."

Following the Gulf war, Syria, Iran and Turkey embarked on a "tripartite consultation mechanism" to consult on events taking place in northern Iraq. The sixth and last meeting of this group was held in September 1995 in Tehran.