Damascus Media Reaction: Al-Hariri Probe/Masked

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 006277

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/S:STHIBEAULT
VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, DBENZE AND AFERNANDEZ,
IIP/G/NEA-SA RWINCHESTER
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC
CENTCOM FOR CCPA

E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY
SUBJECT: Damascus Media Reaction: Al-Hariri Probe/Masked
Witness, Syria/Iran, Iraq, Palestinian Territories (12/1)

1. Summary: Syrian papers continued to comment on statements
by Syrian witness Husam Tahir Husam that he was intimidated
by a group of Lebanese political, media, and security

figures to give false testimony to the international
investigation commission to implicate Syria in the
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-
Hariri. The papers condemned those Lebanese figures and
called for investigations into Husam's revelations. Papers
also featured a second press conference in which Husam
appealed to the highest Lebanese religious figures to
protect his Lebanese fiancee and her family. He said that
they are being harassed, pressured and subjected to bribery
to testify against him, by the same politicians who had
pressured him.
Iraq was the second theme in the papers today. Headlines
featured the visits to Damascus by Hamid-Reza Asefi, Iranian
Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs, and Hareth al-
Dari, Chairman of the Iraqi Association of Moslem Scholars.

Papers also reported President Bush's speech at the US Naval
Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in which he explained his
strategy for achieving victory in Iraq and confirmed that he
will keep forces there until victory is achieved.

End of summary.


2. Selected Headlines:

"FM Shara discusses regional developments and bilateral
cooperation with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for
Consular Affairs Hamid-Reza Asefi and reviews preparations
for an Iraqi Reconciliation Conference with Chairman of
Iraqi Association of Moslem Scholars Hareth al-Dari"
(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/1)

"Asefi: Hizbollah is a decision-maker. Cooperation with
Washington is not on our agenda. Al-Dari: Accusations
against Syria by some Iraqi officials do not represent the
Iraqi people's opinion" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/1)

"The UN General Assembly calls for Israeli withdrawal from
the Golan and the Palestinian territories. Miqdad [Syria's
Representative at the UN]: Syria's stand on the peace
process is fixed and credible" (Government-owned Tishreen,
12/1)

"Husam calls on Lebanese authorities and the world community
to stop intimidation and blackmail of his fiancee and her
family. Husam's lawyer: My client has a lot of documented
proof. 'Al-Safir' calls for definitive clarifications about
the 'masked witness'" (Government-owned Tishreen, 12/1)

"Who stands behind Al-Siddiq's lies? French journalist
George Malbrunot reveals the answer in Le Figaro: Who
demanded that France host the 'witness'?" (Government-owned
Al-Thawra, 12/1)

"Le Figaro: When Saed Al-Hariri was exposed, he sacrificed
Al-Siddiq. Saudi and US intelligence revealed Al-Siddiq and
Chirac suggested hosting him" (Government-owned Al-Thawra,
12/1)

"The Lebanese presidency denounces statements by some MPs:
allegations and misleading; a new chapter of conspiracy
against Lebanon" (Government-owned Tishreen, 12/1)

"Bush promises full victory in Iraq without giving a
specific date. Bush fails to relieve Americans. Democrats
step up criticism" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/1)

"Aggression against Ofar ignites Palestinian anger. 11
Palestinians injured in Nablus clashes" (Government-owned Al-
Ba'th, 12/1)


3. Editorial Block Quotes:
"At Al-Hariri's Expense, not in his Interest"
Dr. Fayez al-Sayegh, Chief Editor of government-owned Al-
Thawra, said (12/1): "Syria presented Husam to the media not
to prove that it is innocent of the crime of the Al-Hariri
assassination, but to show the Lebanese public the
intelligence oriented mentality of the political media group
that planned and committed the crime of accusing Syria....
"The people whose names were mentioned by Husam will,
naturally, rush to deny the accusation that they misled the
investigation.... This bloody political mafia planned to
implicate Syria to serve its own interests.... It is not
unlikely that the assassination crime and what followed it
were the making of this mafia....
"Who should call whom to account today? Is it not logical to
ask about the objective behind misleading the investigation
in such bad faith, simplicity, and recklessness? Is this not
a crime in the sense that it protects the real criminal and
diverts attention from him and allows the forces of evil and
aggression, primarily Israel, to exploit the assassination
crime to settle political scores and serve their interests?
"Those Lebanese politicians and journalists applauded the
masked witness and his credibility when he was in Beirut,
but hurled all sorts of abuse upon him and upon his
credibility when he spoke to the media in Damascus....
"The International Investigation Commission, in order to
save its credibility, professionalism, and mission, should
open a new track in the investigations and interrogate all
those who misled international justice, wasted its time and
money, and distracted the public with fabrications.
"The commission should also set up a special court to try
these people...."
"For the Sake of Justice, Fairness and Truth"
Isam Dari, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen,
wrote (12/1): "The truth about the Al-Hariri assassination
has gradually begun to appear; the masks have fallen from
many faces, not only the face of the 'masked witness', who
managed to escape from the whirlpool of lies and the swamps
of conspiracy....
"What happened will reshuffle the cards and cause the
collapse of reports and resolutions that were built on false
information that was first imposed on the witness and then
on the International Investigation Commission. This dictates
that a calm and objective review of the new facts be
conducted, that the real killers of Al-Hariri and the direct
suspects in the crime be searched for, and that the ready-
made accusations by the anti-Syria political-media machine
be avoided....
"We have no doubt that the true seekers of the truth will
take what happened in the past two days into consideration.
They will realize that Syria was first the victim of the
assassination crime, and then the victim of the lies of
plotters and deceivers and of a report and resolutions that
were based on those lies. Syria wants nothing other than
fairness, justice, truth, and exposure of the dirty game
that was played partly by a group of people who were not
only ungrateful for what Syria offered to Lebanon, but who
also tried to mobilize the whole world against Syria to take
personal revenge, play the cheap role assigned to them, or
receive a few dollars."
Seche