Turkey and Syria jointly called Sunday for a peaceful solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, on the second day of the Syrian delegation's visit to Istanbul, dpa reported. "We agree that every country has a right to peaceful nuclear energy, and that we should free the region of all weapons of mass destruction," Syrian president Bashar al-Assad said, according to Syria's state news agency, Sana. "Syria believes that the international community should begin by inspecting Israel for nuclear weapons," al-Assad added. "Every political agreement must be based on international law," the Syrian leader said. Turkish leader Abdullah Gul stressed that Turkey hoped for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. Al-Assad said Syria wanted Turkey to continue its efforts at mediating indirect talks between Syria and Israel. Turkey is Israel's closest ally in the region and mediated talks between Syria and Turkey in 2008. Israel accused Syria of providing the Lebanese group Hezbollah with long-distance Scud missiles last month, which Syria dismissed as "lies." This is the Syrian leader's second visit to Turkey in nine months, as the two countries have made diplomatic efforts to strengthen their bilateral relationship. The two leaders are expected to sign several cooperation agreements in various fields as negotiations continue. The relationship between the two countries has warmed, as marked by the mutually reciprocated act of banning entry visa requirements last October. Turkey and Syria have historically had tense relations, escalating in the late 1990s when Ankara accused Damascus of supporting the banned separatist Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK). -- SPA
