Syria opposes any attempt to carve up its neighbour Iraq and in particular to the establishment of an independent Kurdish state, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in a television interview aired on Monday.
"We are opposed not only to a Kurdish state but also to any action against the territorial integrity of Iraq," he told the Turkish-language station of CNN television on the eve of a historic visit to Turkey, the first by a Syrian leader for 58 years.
On Tuesday, al-Assad and his wife will start a three-day state visit to Turkey. Al-Assad is expected to hold talks with the Turkish President Ahmad Necdet Sezer and senior officials.
"Iraq's future is bound to the future of all of us," Assad said during the interview. "For that reason, the break-up of Iraq would be a red line, not only as far as Syria and Turkey are concerned, but for all the countries in the region." (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
