Turkish president for good relations with Syria, Iraqi unity

Turkish President Suleyman Demirel said that the recent contacts Turkish officials made with Syria gives Turkey that a comprehensive dialogue can be implemented to discuss security, and waters.

In an exclusive interview with the Lebanese daily al-Nahar published today Demirel added, "Our foreign minister held talks with Farouk al-Sharaa and eventually Syria is our neighbor, and the people of Turkey want to be friends with the Syrians."

Replying a question on the efforts of the Turkish government to start a positive step towards relations with Syria, President Demirel said, "I went to Damascus in 1993 when I was a prime minister and talked with President al-Assad for four hours and told him we are ready to discuss any issue and all issues."

Concerning Turkey's stand towards Iraq, President Demirel said his country gives top priority to Iraqi territorial integrity, a matter which has been stressed by Turkey since the Gulf war in 1991 because, "Iraq is our neighbor with whom we want to establish balanced, useful and fraternal relations," al-Nahar reported.

As for the military Turkish-Israeli relations, the Turkish President denied that his country's relations with Israel are a threat to Syria, adding, "Our alliance with Israel does not target a third state. The Arabs have relations with Israel, like Egypt and Jordan."

He added, "We still have family ties and kinship as well as cultural relations with the Arab states and we have always supported the just cause of the Palestinian people," al-Nahar said. Turkey was among the first countries which recognized the Palestinian state in 1988, he said.