WASHINGTON — The United States has called on Turkey to join the
international campaign to pressure Syria to withdraw from Lebanon.
Instead, Turkey plans to send its president to Syria in April, Middle East Newsline reported.
Turkey has been silent during the international campaign for the removal
of Syrian troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon. Officials said the
administration has been annoyed by Ankara's silence and concerned that
this reflected deep ties between the two Middle East neighbors.
"We would certainly hope that Turkey as well as others send Syria a
clear message that the international community is of one mind in wanting and
calling on Syria to get all its forces and intelligence operatives out of
Lebanon," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said on Wednesday.
"But as far as the visit goes, that's a decision between the Turks and the
Syrians."
U.S. officials said the Bush administration has objected to the planned
visit by Turkish President Ahmet Sezer to Syria. They said such a visit,
scheduled for April 13, would harm growing Arab and international pressure
on Damascus to withdraw from Lebanon and disarm Hizbullah in accordance with
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559.
"What can be said on Syria is that the international community is
completely unanimous on UN Security Council Resolution 1559," U.S.
ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman said. "We hope Turkey will join the
international community."
Officials said the Sezer visit to Syria was raised at several levels of
the Bush administration. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in
a meeting with a Turkish parliamentary delegation, urged Ankara to support
the international effort against Syria.
Later, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz met the opposition
Turkish parliamentarians and discussed defense relations between Ankara and
Washington. The parliamentarians were said to have defended Turkey's
relations with Syria.
"There are issues that we can handle together as friends and allies,"
Wolfowitz was quoted by the Turkish participants as saying. "If your
relations with Syria are on good terms, we request that you use this to
convince Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon."
Ankara was said to have rejected the U.S. request for Sezer to cancel
his trip to Damascus. The two countries have signed defense and security
cooperation accords.
"Of course, we will go," Sezer said on March 15.
But officials said Sezer has pledged to appeal to his Syrian
counterpart, Bashar Assad, to withdraw troops from Lebanon. The Turkish
president has also said he would represent European Union interests during
the summit.
