Turkey continues escalation of tensions with Syria

The Monte Carlo radio correspondent in Damascus said that Syrian sources did not comment on the security meeting that may be held by high-ranking security officials from both Syria and Turkey to discuss the Turkish security requirements on the grounds of which Ankara continues a military buildup.

This calls into question the announcement made by Turkish sources on Monday that a security meeting will be held between the two sides.

Iranian sources revealed that Tehran handed over a written proposal to the Syrian and Turkish sides through the ambassadors of Iran in both Damascus and Ankara with the objective of defusing the crisis between the two countries.

The Iranian mediation falls in the context of an announcement by Iran that its efforts come from its being the current chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The sources added that the Iranian proposal is very similar to the Egyptian project. It did not give more explanations concerning it, waiting for the results of Syrian-Turkish security talks yielded by the Egyptian mediation.

The sources stressed that Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi formulated the Iranian proposal in compliance with his recent visits to both Damascus and Ankara. The sources added that Kharazi's next visit to the two countries will be linked to their reaction to the said proposal.