Syria and the Palestinian Authority took another step today towards ending a longstanding diplomatic rift, with officials saying talks in Damascus had opened a new era in Palestinian-Syrian relations.
In a further sign of thawing relations, the first Palestinian plane to fly to Syria landed in Damascus today, a Palestinian official said.
Palestinian Planning and International Cooperation Minister Mr Nabil Shaath also confirmed Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat would soon visit Damascus, with the date for his visit to be discussed by officials tomorrow.
Mr Shaath, who held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Mr Farouq al-Shara, told reporters after the meeting that broad agreement had been reached on closer economic and political co-operation.
Ties between Mr Arafat and Syria deteriorated after he signed the interim 1993 Palestinian-Israeli peace deal which gave Palestinians limited self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Syria condemned the deal, reached following secret talks in Oslo, Norway, saying it deprived Palestinians of their basic rights and harmed Arab co-ordination at the peace talks with Israel which were launched in Madrid in 1991.
But ties have improved since Mr Bashar al-Assad came to power in July last year after the death of his father Hafez, and the new president has supported the principle of exchanging land for peace in Mr Arafat's negotiations with Israel.