Damascus lawmakers briefed on Gul visit

DAMASCUS, Syria, May 20 (UPI) -- Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji al-Utri briefed lawmakers on the results of talks between the Turkish and Syrian presidents.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul was in Syria during the weekend on an official three-day visit to discuss regional relations and pending issues regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Gul emerged from the meetings saying he was convinced Damascus was serious about peace in the region as Syrian President Bashar Assad pushes a modest policy of engagement.

Damascus has reached out to its Arab neighbors in recent months, exchanging embassies with Beirut. Turkish and Syrian ground forces in April conducted joint military exercises along their shared border in the first-ever cooperation of its kind.

Both countries approached the brink of war in 1998 following Ankara's displeasure with Syrian support for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.

Utri described the talks between the two presidents to members of Parliament as strong, noting the emphasis was on increased bilateral economic and political ties, the officials Syrian Arab News Agency reports.

He added relations between the two former enemies were improving along the lines of mutual regional and international interests.