All Turkish drivers in Syria to be freed tomorrow

Aleppo Chief Consulate Hulusi Kilic told the Anatolia news agency bureaucratic procedures concerning the 18 drivers were incomplete and that was why they would be able to appear in front of the criminal court of peace in Idlip tomorrow [Sunday]. "As I have said before, the Syrian state and its laws and decrees count. There is too much bureaucracy, Fridays and Saturdays are not working days in Syria. That’s why the trial is Sunday," he was quoted as saying.

Kilic said Turkish drivers were detained due to violating regulations, not because of security concerns. "The Turkish drivers’ detention will never demolish Turkish-Syrian relations which are improving each day," he added.

Syrian security officials detained 27 Turkish truck drivers last week for carrying excessive amounts of fuel oil on their return from Iraq. The Turkish government was considering transporting goods to Iraq via Syria due to increased attacks on Turkish drivers by Iraqi insurgents. However, on that same day Damascus banned Turkish companies from using Syrian railways to ship fuel oil and petroleum products to Iraq, news reports said.