NONPAPER FOR RUSSIAN USE WITH SYRIAN VP KHADDAM:

S E C R E T STATE 009334

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/13
TAGS: PTER PREL SY
SUBJECT: NONPAPER FOR RUSSIAN USE WITH SYRIAN VP KHADDAM:
HAMAS AND HEZBALLAH

CLASSIFIED BY NEA A/S BILL BURNS, E.O. 12958 REASONS 1.5
(B) AND (D).


1. (C) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST. SYRIAN VP KHADDAM WILL
BE VISITING MOSCOW NEXT WEEK. IN DISCUSSIONS WITH RUSSIAN
COUNTERPARTS IN WASHINGTON, THE USG HAS REQUESTED THAT THE
GOR RAISE SYRIA'S CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR TERRORIST
ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS HAMAS AND HIZBALLAH. POST IS
REQUESTED TO PROVIDE THE POINTS AT PARA TWO WITH
APPROPRIATE GOR OFFICIALS. THE POINTS AT PARA THREE MAY
BE LEFT AS A NONPAPER. THESE POINTS ARE NOT/NOT
RELEASABLE TO THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT.


2. (S/REL RUSSIA) BEGIN POINTS:

-- THE UNITED STATES CONSIDERS SYRIA A STATE SPONSOR OF
TERRORISM, DUE PRIMARILY TO ITS HOSTING OF CERTAIN
PALESTINIAN TERRORIST GROUPS SUCH AS HAMAS, THE
PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD (PIJ),THE POPULAR FRONT FOR THE

LIBERATION OF PALESTINE (PFLP),AND THE POPULAR FRONT FOR
THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE - GENERAL COMMAND (PFLP-GC).
WE ARE CONCERNED AS WELL BY DAMASCUS' CLOSE RELATIONSHIP
AND SUPPORT FOR HIZBALLAH.

-- THE EVIDENCE WE ARE PROVIDING YOU TODAY SUPPORTS OUR
VERY REAL CONCERNS ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF TWO
ORGANIZATIONS IN PARTICULAR: HIZBALLAH AND HAMAS. WE
HOPE THAT YOU WILL CONSIDER THIS INFORMATION CAREFULLY AND
IN SHAPING YOUR BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH COUNTRIES, SUCH
AS IRAN AND SYRIA, WHICH SUPPORT THEIR ACTIVITIES AND THAT
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS WILL DRAW ON THESE POINTS DURING THEIR
MEETINGS NEXT WEEK WITH SYRIAN VP KHADDAM.

END POINTS.


3. (S/REL RUSSIA) BEGIN TEXT OF NON-PAPER:

HIZBALLAH
--------------

-- THE UNITED STATES CONSIDERS HIZBALLAH A TERRORIST
ORGANIZATION, ENGAGED IN TERRORIST ACTIONS. WHILE WE
DON'T OPPOSE HIZBALLAH'S POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES,
IT IS NOT CREDIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN A
TERRORIST/OPERATIONAL WING OF THIS ORGANIZATION AND A
POLICY/POLITICAL WING. TO TRY TO DO SO IS A WHOLELY
ARTIFICIAL EXERCISE AS HIZBALLAH'S LEADERSHIP OF BOTH
WINGS IS ONE AND THE SAME.

-- WE REMAIN CONCERNED ABOUT THE DETERMINATION AND ABILITY
OF HIZBALLAH TO MOUNT TERRORIST OPERATIONS. THESE
ACTIVITIES HAVE A DESTABILIZING EFFECT ON THE ENTIRE
MIDDLE EAST REGION AND UNDERMINE INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO
ESTABLISH CONDITIONS WHEREBY MEANINGFUL PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
CAN RESUME.

-- HIZBALLAH CONTINUES TO RECEIVE WEAPONS FROM IRAN. WE
ARE CONCERNED THIS CONTINUED RE-SUPPLY INCREASES THE
LIKELIHOOD THAT HIZBALLAH WILL ACQUIRE LONGER-RANGE AND
MORE ADVANCED ROCKETS OR MISSILES. THE GROWING STOCKPILE
MAY LIKEWISE ENHANCE HIZBALLAH'S PERCEPTION OF ITS
DETERRENT CAPACITY AND EMBOLDEN IT TO INCREASE BORDER
ATTACKS AGAINST ISRAEL.

-- THE FINANCIAL, TRAINING, AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT THAT
HIZBALLAH AND IRAN PROVIDE TO PALESTINIAN TERRORISTS ALSO
GENERATES SIGNIFICANT CONCERN:

- HIZBALLAH AND IRANIAN ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD
(IRGC) PERSONNEL HAVE CONDUCTED WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES
TRAINING FOR MEMBERS OF PALESTINIAN GROUPS IN THE BEKAA
VALLEY AND IN IRAN BEFORE SENDING THEM BACK INTO THE
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

- HIZBALLAH COORDINATED THE MARCH 12 ATTACK AT SHLOMI IN
NORTHERN ISRAEL, IN WHICH SIX ISRAELIS WERE KILLED,
INCLUDING FOUR CIVILIANS.

- HIZBALLAH IS LIKEWISE WORKING TO INFILTRATE ITS OWN
OPERATIVES INTO THE WEST BANK AND GAZA TO FACILITATE
PALESTINIAN ATTACKS AGAINST ISRAELIS. AN OPERATIVE (A
SHIA OF LEBANESE ORIGIN) ARRESTED IN HEBRON LAST SUMMER
BY THE ISRAELI SECURITY SERVICE WAS TRAINED IN LEBANON
AND SENT TO THE WEST BANK AND GAZA TO ENHANCE
PALESTINIAN BOMB PRODUCTION AND HELP PLAN ATTACKS.

- HIZBALLAH COOPERATED WITH FATAH PALESTINIANS ON THE
JANUARY 2002 KARINE A SHIPMENT. THE SHIP WAS CARRYING
ROUGHLY 50 TONS OF MOSTLY IRANIAN-MADE WEAPONS - SUCH AS
BATTLEFIELD ROCKETS, NUMEROUS LIGHT AND ANTI-TANK
MISSILES, MORTARS, MINES, EXPLOSIVES, AND SMALL ARMS AND
MUNITIONS.

- IN MAY 2001, THE PFLP-GC, WITH HIZBALLAH'S ASSISTANCE,
ATTEMPTED TO SMUGGLE 45 SEALED BARRELS OF ARMS BY SEA
FROM LEBANON TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY. PRESS
REPORTS AT THE TIME OF SEIZURE STATED THAT INTERROGATION
OF THE CREW SHOWED THE SAME SHIP HAD MADE THREE EARLIER
DELIVERIES TO GAZA.

-- HIZBALLAH'S LEADERSHIP HAS CALLED ON ARAB LEADERS TO
PROVIDE "SERIOUS" MONEY AND WEAPONS TO THE PALESTINIANS.
IN AN INTERVIEW IN MARCH WITH THE LONDON SUNDAY TIMES, THE
GENERAL SECRETARY OF HIZBALLAH, HASSAN NASRALLAH, ALSO
ADMITTED THAT THREE HIZBALLAH MEMBERS HAD BEEN ARRESTED BY

THE JORDANIANS AS THEY ATTEMPTED TO SMUGGLE A NUMBER OF
KATYUSHA ROCKETS TO PALESTINIAN FACTIONS.

-- THE EFFECT SUCH SUPPORT AND COORDINATION COULD HAVE ON
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST ISRAEL IS
CLEARLY WORRISOME. INCREASED IRANIAN FUNDING AND WEAPONS,
ALONG WITH TRAINING PROVIDED BY BOTH IRAN AND HIZBALLAH,
HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASED LETHALITY OF THE CURRENT
INTIFADA. BY NASRALLAH'S OWN ADMISSION, BROADCAST ON
BEIRUT TELEVISION NOVEMBER 26, HIZBALLAH IS "STRONGER
TODAY THAN IT WAS AT THE TIME" OF THE WITHDRAWAL OF
ISRAELI TROOPS FROM LEBANON IN 2000. NASRALLAH HAS
REPEATEDLY AND PUBLICLY CALLED FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF
ISRAEL.

HAMAS
--------------

-- WHILE SOME NATIONS DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HAMAS' POLITICAL
WING, INCLUDING ITS FUNDRAISING ARM AND ARRAY OF SOCIAL
SERVICES, AND IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSAM, ITS OPERATIONAL
BRANCH, THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT BELIEVE IT IS
APPROPRIATE TO DO SO BASED ON AVAILABLE INFORMATION. THE
UNITED STATES VIEWS HAMAS AS A UNIFIED ORGANIZATION WITH
UNIFIED GOALS, ONE OF WHICH IS THE ELIMINATION OF THE
STATE OF ISRAEL.

- HAMAS POLITICAL LEADERS OPENLY LOBBY FOR THE
"LIQUIDATION" OF ISRAEL THROUGH VIOLENCE, AS
POLITICAL BUREAU CHIEF KHALID MISHA'AL DID IN TEHRAN
ON APRIL 24, 2001. HAMAS SPOKESMAN MOUSA ABU MARZOUK
VOWED HAMAS WOULD "STEP UP ITS GUERRILLA WAR AGAINST
ISRAEL" AND THIS SUMMER ADMITTED ON THE U.S.
TELEVISION SHOW "60 MINUTES" THAT HAMAS WAS
DEVELOPING, IN GAZA, ADVANCED ROCKETS TO STRIKE
TARGETS INSIDE ISRAEL PROPER. DR. ABDEL RANTISI,
ANOTHER PROMINENT HAMAS POLITICAL OFFICIAL, SAID
SUICIDE BOMBERS ARE "THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR
US." RANTISI PUBLICLY ADMITS THAT IZZ AL-DIN AL-
QASSAM INITIATES ATTACKS BASED ON CUES HEARD IN
PUBLIC STATEMENTS MADE BY HAMAS POLITICAL FIGURES.

- IN A MAY 2002 STATEMENT POSTED ON A PROMINENT
ARABIC INTERNET SITE, HAMAS MILITARY LEADER SALAH
SHIHADA, SUBSEQUENTLY KILLED IN AN ISRAELI TARGETED
OPERATION THIS FALL, SAID THAT HAMAS' "POLITICAL
APPARATUS IS SOVEREIGN OVER THE MILITARY APPARATUS,
AND A DECISION OF THE POLITICAL ECHELON TAKES
PRECEDENCE OVER THE DECISION OF THE MILITARY
ECHELON, WITHOUT INTERVENING IN MILITARY
OPERATIONS."

- IN AUGUST 2002, HAMAS' GAZA-BASED SPIRITUAL LEADER
AHMAD YASIN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING, "WHEN WE HAMAS
MAKE DECISIONS ON THE POLITICAL LEVEL AND CONVEY THEM
TO THE MILITARY WING, IT ABIDES BY IT NORMALLY."

-- PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (PA) LEADERS TELL US HAMAS
"POLITICAL" LEADERS ARE COMPLICATING THEIR EFFORTS TO
LIMIT ATTACKS ON ISRAELI TARGETS. IN JANUARY 2002, A
PROMINENT ARAB NEWSPAPER REPORTED THAT PA LEADERS HAD
ASKED SYRIA-BASED HAMAS LEADERS IMAD AL-ALAMI, MARZUK AND
MISHA'AL TO STOP "POURING OIL ON THE FIRE" BY ARMING AND
FUNDING CELLS IN THE WEST BANK. THE SAME NEWSPAPER
REPORTED IN JUNE 2002 THAT AL-ALAMI HAD MET WITH
PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD, HIZBALLAH AND AL-QAEDA
REPRESENTATIVES TO DISCUSS CONDUCTING "MAJOR MARTYRDOM
OPERATIONS."

-- HAMAS' NETWORK OF SOCIAL SERVICES SUPPORTS THE
VIOLENT POLITICAL AMBITIONS OF THE ORGANIZATION, BOTH
FINANCIALLY AND THROUGH EFFORTS FURTHERING INDOCTRINATION.

- HAMAS IS SUSPECTED OF DERIVING A LARGE PERCENTAGE
OF ITS REVENUE FROM INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT THE GULF
REGION, THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST AND EUROPE. THESE
FINANCES UNDERMINE THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS BY
PROMOTING HAMAS' PROPAGANDA AND FACILITATING THE
RECRUITMENT AND INDOCTRINATION OF HAMAS ACTIVISTS.
SOME OF THESE FUNDS MAY ALSO SUPPORT THE FAMILIES OF
"MARTYRS" AND THE EXECUTION OF TERRORIST OPERATIONS.

-- HAMAS CENTERS ITS POLITICAL ACTIVITIES PRIMARILY IN THE
IMPOVERISHED AREAS OF GAZA AND THE WEST BANK. THERE IT

OPENLY MAINTAINS A DIVERSE ARRAY OF SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS
SERVICES, RAISES MONEY, ORGANIZES ACTIVITIES, DISTRIBUTES
PROPAGANDA AND RECRUITS MEMBERS. SOME RECRUITS ARE
CLANDESTINELY TRAINED AS SUICIDE BOMBERS FOR SERVICE
WITHIN IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSAM, THE GROUP'S TERRORIST WING.
HAMAS' STRONG INFLUENCE IN MANY PALESTINIAN MOSQUES,
SCHOOLS AND SOCIAL CLUBS CONTRIBUTES TO THE ORGANIZATION'S
ATTEMPTS TO INDOCTRINATE THE PALESTINIAN CONSTITUENCY WITH
ITS VIOLENT IDEOLOGY, PARTICULARLY ITS YOUTH, AND PROVIDES
RELIGIOUS SANCTION TO VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAELIS.

- HAMAS "POLITICAL" LEADER MISHA'AL ON NOVEMBER 16,
2000 WAS QUOTED IN THE ARAB DAILY AL-SHARQ AL-AWSAT
AS SAYING, "HAMAS IS A JIHAD MOVEMENT THAT SERVES THE
PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THE CURRENT INTIFADA.
EVERYTHING HAMAS OWNS IS USED IN THIS BATTLE."

-- HAMAS POSES AN UNUSUAL AND EXTRAORDINARY THREAT TO THE
PEACE PROCESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WHICH THE UNITED STATES
VIEWS AS CRITICAL TO ITS NATIONAL SECURITY, FOREIGN POLICY
AND/OR ECONOMIC INTERESTS, THROUGH THE INCITEMENT OF
TERRORISM AND OVERT TERRORIST ACTIVITIES:

- THE UNITED STATES HAS INFORMATION INDICATING THAT
HAMAS' POLITICAL BUREAU OFTEN HAS FOREKNOWLEDGE OF,
IS LINKED TO, AND/OR PROVIDES DIRECTION FOR THE
OPERATIONS OF IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSAM AGAINST ISRAELI
TARGETS. MOST RECENTLY, HAMAS CLAIMED
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE JULY 2002 BOMBING AT
JERUSALEM'S HEBREW UNIVERSITY THAT KILLED FOUR
ISRAELIS AND FIVE AMERICAN CITIZENS AND THE MARCH
2002 SUICIDE BOMBINGS THAT KILLED 25 ISRAELIS ON
PASSOVER NIGHT IN NETANYA, ISRAEL, AND 15 ISRAELIS AT
A HAIFA CAFE THE SAME WEEK. SIMILARLY DEVASTATING
ATTACKS WERE CARRIED OUT IN 2001, SUCH AS THE JUNE 1
BOMBING OF A TEL AVIV NIGHTCLUB THAT KILLED 22
ISRAELI TEENAGERS, AND THE AUGUST 9 SUICIDE ATTACK ON
A JERUSALEM PIZZERIA IN WHICH 15 CIVILIANS DIED.
AMERICAN CITIZENS AND OTHER NON-ISRAELIS HAVE BEEN
KILLED AND INJURED IN THESE AND OTHER ATTACKS. HAMAS
SPOKESMEN, INCLUDING PURPORTED "POLITICAL" LEADERS,
CATEGORIZE THESE OPERATIONS AS "SELF-DEFENSE" - PART

OF ITS DECLARED POLICY TO CREATE A "BALANCE OF
TERROR" WITH ISRAEL.

-- HAMAS IS ACTIVE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND ITS
AFFILIATION WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST
ORGANIZATIONS CONSTITUTES A THREAT TO AMERICAN AND WESTERN
INTERESTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND:

- HAMAS OPERATES THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST. FOR
PURPOSES OF TRAINING, FUND-RAISING AND CONSULTING
WITH FOREIGN OFFICIALS AND OTHER TERRORISTS
ORGANIZATIONS, HAMAS IS KNOWN OR BELIEVED TO HAVE A
PRESENCE IN IRAN, LEBANON, LIBYA, SAUDI ARABIA,
SUDAN, YEMEN AND SYRIA (IT MAINTAINS ITS HEADQUARTERS
IN DAMASCUS). FOUR OF THESE COUNTRIES ARE LISTED BY
THE USG AS STATE SPONSORS OF TERRORISM. HAMAS IS
ALSO ACTIVE IN OTHER NATIONS. FURTHER, HAMAS MAY
ASPIRE TO DESTABILIZE THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY IN
THE EVENT OF ARAFAT'S DEATH.

- HAMAS IS BELIEVED TO COOPERATE WITH OTHER FOREIGN
TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS OF GLOBAL REACH, INCLUDING
HIZBALLAH. ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, HAMAS AND
HIZBALLAH HAVE COOPERATED ON WEAPONS ENHANCEMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT FOR USE WITHIN ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN
TERRITORIES. HAMAS IS ALSO KNOWN TO MAINTAIN CLOSE
TIES WITH IRAN. HAMAS' AFFILIATION WITH THESE
TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH ARE TOGETHER
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN
CITIZENS, AND IRAN (A STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM)
CONSTITUTES A GROWING THREAT TO AMERICAN AND WESTERN
INTERESTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND.

END TEXT.


POWELL