Gul says poised to visit Damascus soon

Gul announced plans to travel to Damascus days after U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell held talks in Ankara in a visit meant to mend ties harmed by Turkey’s rejection of U.S. request to deploy troops for a northern front against Iraq.

“Colin Powell had no direct or implicit suggestion,” Gul told reporters as he was heading to Riyadh for a summit of Middle East countries set to discuss Iraq in the postwar era.

The foreign minister cancelled his trip after entry of Iraqi Kurdish fighters in key northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, a move that sent shock waves to Ankara.

Gul said he had to postpone his visit because of the critical developments that were then taking place in northern Iraq.

“The visit was postponed, not cancelled,” he said and added that it would take place in the shortest time possible.

Last Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom visited Ankara and joined the U.S. pressure on Damascus, saying Syria was welcoming Iraqi officials fleeing Baghdad and tolerate terrorist activities on its soil.

Gul, at a joint press conference with Shalom, on the other hand, insisted Turkey did not want the war in Iraq to spread to other countries. Later, he has also said that he had no evidence for Syria’s possessing weapons of mass destruction.

On Friday, Gul said he was to meet Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara while in Riyadh.

Syria and Iran, whose foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi had talks in Ankara days after the Powell trip, have called for a joint consultation mechanism between Turkey, Syria and Iran. Turkey said it wanted to maintain good ties with its neighbors but avoids giving the impression that it is acting in a common front together with Syria and Iran.