Foothold for the enemy

Syria fears that traditional economic ties between Turkey and Israel, now in focus as Ankara seeks partners in a de-mining project on its southeast frontier, could trigger a crisis of Syrian national security, reports Bassel Oudat from Damascus 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... [read full story]                    

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