In a telephone call with Indyk, al-Sharaa calls for balanced US position

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa on Thursday received a telephone call from US Undersecretary of State for Middle East Affairs Martin Indyk, currently visiting Cairo.

Talks centered on the current tensions in relations between Syria and Turkey. Al-Sharaa explained Syria's position concerning these tensions and asked the US to take a balanced and clear stand towards the provocative statements made by Turkish officials and the need of the US support for the diplomatic solution proposed by Syria to calm the situation and deal with problems suspended between Syria and Turkey.

Indyk said that Washington has recognized the grave situation and will exert efforts to calm it down.

In a statement following his meeting with Egypt's Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, in Cairo, on Thursday, Indyk called upon Turkey to use self-control. He stressed that constructive dialogue is the best means to settle the rising crisis between Syria and Turkey.