The United States turned to two of its long-time Middle East adversaries, Syria and Iran, seeking potential partners to counter Iraq's aggression in the Persian Gulf. The dramatic moves were announced by Secretary of State James A. Baker III as he flew to Turkey with assurances to that nation of financial and military support for its ``forthright closing'' of two Iraqi oil pipelines and for freezing Iraqi assets. U.S. government sources said Turkey was seeking $2 billion to compensate it for revenue it will lose by closing the pipelines. Before stopping at a Portugese air base in the Azores for refueling, Baker also said he had received new assurances of Soviet support in enforcing an economic boycott of Iraq ordered by the United Nations Security Council. Baker told reporters traveling with him he would send John H. Kelly, assistant secretary of state for the Near East, to Damascus from Ankara ``to see if we can coordinate with the Syrians'' on collective efforts against Iraq. At the same time, Baker verified reports that the United States also has been in touch with Iran through ``third party contacts.'' The enmity between the Syrian and Iraqi governments is intense, with the only possible greater enmity being that between Iran and Iraq. Syria helped Iran in Iran's long and bloody eight-year war started by another invasion of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1980. Syrian President Hafez Assad and Saddam Hussein are longtime rivals within the Arab world. The two nations are ruled by rival Arab socialist parties, each considering the other an outcast. Apart from that conflict, Syria's relationship with the United States has been as bad as U.S. reations with Iraq. In fact, Syria is one of six countries listed by the State Department as sponsoring terrorists acts. Iraq was removed from that list several years ago. Terrorist groups believed to be under the influence of Iran are holding six Americans hostage in Lebanon, the longest since 1985. Baker declined to say what `` collective efforts'' Syria and the United States might undertake against Iraq. ``I really don't want to get into the specifics of that,'' he said. Baker talked for about a half hour by telephone with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze, their third conversation in two days. The secretary then said, ``They continue to support enforcement of the U.N. resolution. We can look toward continued Soviet cooperation to carry out the resolution.'' Baker said Moscow had dispatched naval forces to the Persian Gulf for use in any international blockade to enforce the sanctions approved unanimously Monday by the U.N. Security Council. Kelly, who was flying to Turkey with Baker, will go on to Saudi Arabia, whose oil fields the U.S is protecting with thousands of troops dispatched Wednesday. Kelly will meet with ousted leaders of the Kuwaiti government who were given sanctuary in Saudi Arabia, and with Saudi officials. A senior U.S. official who demanded anonymity said was up to Saudi Arabia to decide whether Syria and Iran could participate in defense of the kingdon against Iraq. Iran has mounted terrorist operations against Saudi Arabia in the past, according to Saudi officials.
