Syrian President Assad in Turkey for official visit (Roundup)

Oct 16, 2007, 15:42 GMT

Ankara - Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday began an official visit to Turkey where the top item on the agenda was Turkey's efforts to act as a mediator between Syria and Israel.

Assad was to be guest of honour at a state dinner Tuesday night hosted by his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul before starting official talks on Wednesday with a number of Turkish leaders including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In addition to Turkey's mediation efforts, talks were also expect to touch upon a mysterious incident last month when Syria said it had fired upon Israeli warplanes which had violated its airspace.

The Israeli planes were reported to have carried out airstrikes on targets that are unknown. Turkey later complained after spent fuel tanks were dropped by the Israeli planes inside Turkey. Both Israel and Syria have not fully explained the incident.

Assad's visit comes amid an ongoing crisis of Turkish plans to launch incursions against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

The Turkish government is seeking parliamentary approval for a cross-border operation into Iraq to destroy Kurdish rebel bases in the mountainous border region.

Assad's first visit to Turkey since early 2004 also follows his recent confirmation that Turkey is playing a mediation role between Syria and Israel.

In a recent newspaper interview, Assad was quoted as saying: 'We have told them (Turkey) that our stance toward peace does not change. All we want is a clear declaration by Israeli officials of their desire for peace and returning (occupied) land to Syria.'

Relations between Syria and Turkey have included consistent development in all fields and a mutual desire to ensure security and stability in the region, Syria's official news agency Sana reported.

Turkey is a key investor in Syria, with 33 mainly industrial projects worth 150 million dollars having been approved over the last two years.

Bilateral trade increased from 257 million dollars in 1992 to 635 million dollars in 2004.