Syrian official to Oslo, not for peace but for water

The London-based al-Hayat daily quoted Syrian sources as saying that Syrian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nasser Qaddour will visit Oslo on June 22 - 26 for talks with high-ranking Norwegian officials at the invitation of Norway's foreign minister, Knut Vollebaek.

The sources said that during his visit Qaddour will be acquainted with the water studies project of the environment studies center and resources monitoring and the Norwegian water academy which is conducting a study about the Euphrates basin, whose waters are shared by Syria, Iraq and Turkey.

Diplomatic sources highlighted the visit by Qaddour, who is responsible for the water issue with the Turkish side, especially as Damascus expresses concern over Ankara's unwillingness to sign a final agreement on water use, while it continues building dams within a project to develop Turkey's southeastern areas.

The sources added that the Syrian official will brief the Norwegian side on Syria's position concerning its disputes over water with Turkey, because Damascus sees its position as a fair division based on international law.