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There are numerous reasons behind this situation, but focus lately has been on Turkey’s on-going struggle against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist group that Ankara has accused of being supplied by Damascus. During the 14 year conflict between the PKK and the Turkish military, this accusation against Syria has been made repeatedly, but never has it led to a situation that involves foreign leaders shuttling between the two capitals or to military build-ups along borders.

Along with Israel, the United States and her NATO allies also received blame for the crisis. The Syrian press has called Turkey an anti-Arab alliance that included "the Zionist Entity (Israel), America and Britain, who are conspiring and spying against the Arabs." "Converting Turkey to a base to implement American strategy would not serve Turkish interests with the Arabs now and in the future,"8 stated the al-Thawra newspaper.

Both nations now find themselves in a difficult position. Turkey stands to lose any support or relations with the Arab world it once enjoyed. Syria faces military defeat again from the a non-Arab nation. Israel is in a dangerous position where Syria may attempt to strike at the Golan Heights, using difficulties with Turkey as an excuse. If Israel is drawn into conflict with Syria, the delicate balance of peace in the Middle East would be shattered. The United States would find itself having to support Israel and a NATO ally in Turkey, while possibly facing allies across the line in Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. A conflict of this nature could allow Iran or Iraq the necessary excuse to resume direct hostilities against Israel. Old alliances could be both renewed and shattered simultaneously across the region.

Most Iranian Kurds are Sunnis, while the Iranians are Shi'a, and the heavy shadow of Shi'a Islam pervades state ideology and practice. But despite their high ethnic awareness and strong feelings of kinship with the Kurds in Iraq and Turkey, with whom they want to enjoy close contact and trade relations, they do not seem to have strong aspirations to secede from Iran.

The U.S. has also claimed Syrian links to specific terrorist events, but in each case information has been developed to refute such allegations or to raise questions as to the accuracy of such charges.