Turkey for improving relations with Damascus

The Turkish daily "Radical" published in Ankara today said Turkish intelligence has officially reported to the authorities in Ankara that the Syrian government has clamped down on the banned Kurdish separatist Workers Party organization, near Damascus.

The paper added that efforts have begun to be directed towards convening a meeting between the two countries foreign ministers in Damascus during the coming months.

The paper added that Syria has started to adopt positive steps concerning the problem of the Kurdistan Workers Party organization, following the recent meeting held between Turkish Foreign Minister Ismael Cem and his Syrian counterpart Farouk al-Sharaa in Doha.

The paper stated that the Turkish Foreign Ministry views these tangible steps as useful toward normalizing relations between the two countries, saying, "Preparations are underway to convene a meeting between the foreign ministers in the two countries."

The Turkish daily added that Syria's deputy foreign minister will arrive in Cairo by the beginning of June, where there will be focus on Turkey's interest in dialogue with Syria.