Syria scrutinized over three hour working dinner at the White House

ISTANBUL

The '3+3' dinner, as dubbed by the Turkish media, saw the participation of Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan (3L) and Obama's National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon (1R), along with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (3R) and his counterpart Ahmet Davutoğlu (1L). AA photo

Syria was the main issue during a working dinner at the White House between U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

The May 16 dinner was described as "exceptional" by the Turkish media, as it saw the participation of Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan and Obama's National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon, along with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterpart Ahmet Davutoğlu.

The White House said it would not be disclosing any information about the dinner, only revealing that it had lasted three hours, Turkish media reported May 18.

Obama justifies his caution on Syria, asks about peace process

Turkish daily Radikal emphasized the significance of Fidan's participation to the dinner, noting that Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) head was not only very well-informed on the situation in Syria, but also on Iran's nuclear program as well as on the reconciliation process between the two Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah.

According to Radikal, Obama justified his government's cautious attitude on Syria, saying that they did not want to reinforce an aggressive image of the United States toward the Muslim world. 

Meanwhile, Obama also asked during the dinner about the ongoing Kurdish peace process. "We have taken lessons from the past. We are trying to carry out the process without making mistakes,” Erdoğan reportedly said.

The Turkish media also reported that Fidan had presented documents on the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime during the earlier meeting between both countries' delegations. However, Obama said the examination regarding the use of chemical weapons was still ongoing, according to daily Hürriyet.