Foothold for the enemy: economic ties between Turkey and Israel could trigger a crisis of Syrian...

The Turkish parliament has passed a law — now authorised by President Abdullah Gul — for the removal of mines in the regions bordering Syria within five years. The law also allows for this land to be rented and used for agricultural production. Syria initially heaped praise on the Turkish move when first announced last May, setting its eyes on cooperating with Turkey to invest in the de-mined border area. But the Turkish government subsequently announced that it received several bids from companies specialised in mine removal, including US, British, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and — most alarmingly for Syria — Israeli companies. Turkish parliamentary and media sources suggest the Israeli bid could win because it is the least expensive and most dependable. The law then raised concerns among the Turkish opposition, and Syria has since... [read full story]                    

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