Damascus Media Reaction: GCC Summit, IIC, Iraq,

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 006600

SIPDIS

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: GCC Summit, IIC, Iraq,
Palestinian Territories 12/20)


1. Summary: Syrian papers today reported the final
communique of the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) summit that
underlined commitment to the security and stability of Syria
and Lebanon, adding that Syria had cooperated with the
international investigation into the assassination of former
Premier Rafik al-Hariri. The GCC summit expressed relief at
Syria's cooperation with German prosecutor Mehlis and at
Syria's position regarding UNSC resolution 1644.

All papers featured a statement by Mohammed Khaleifa, Media
Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab
Emirates, stressing that the ICC report into the
assassination of al-Hariri is "a failure because it is based
on false testimony, so the commission must restart the
investigation from point zero." Khaliefa said that "the
fabrication of false witnesses has failed," asserting that
"the head of the commission has become aware of Syria's
innocence." He added, "Because the commission has failed to
find a definite accusation against Syria, the US will not be
able to achieve its schemes against Syria." He pointed out
that it is obvious that the commission is working according
to a pre-arranged agenda to accuse Syria.

Government-owned Tishreen carried an op-ed by Dr. Buthaina
Sha'ban, Syrian Minister of Expatriates, commenting on a
recent article by Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice
published in "The Washington Post" on freedom and democracy.
Dr. Sha'ban stressed that "freedom and democracy can be
achieved only through justice, equality, ending of
occupation, and participation of the entire world in the
fight against terrorism based on internationally defined
principles and strategies."


2. Selected Headlines:

"The GCC summit calls for ridding the Middle East of WMD and
expresses relief at Syria's cooperation with the IIC"
(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/20)

"The GCC summit underscores the importance of the security
and sovereignty of Syria and Lebanon" (Government-owned Al-
Ba'th, 12/20)

"The United Arab Emirates: The IIC report is a failure.
Fabrication of false witnesses has failed" (Government-owned
Al-Ba'th, 12/20)

"Jordanian papers condemn the vicious exploitation of the
assassination crimes: Mehlis targeted Syria with fake
testimony" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/20)
"Iranian Vice-President arrives in Damascus" (Government-
owned Tishreen, 12/20)
"The Amal Movement reiterates its determination to maintain
distinguished relations with Syria. The Moslem Scholars
Gathering holds Israeli agents responsible for explosions in
Lebanon" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/20)

"Lahoud expresses solidarity with the boycotting ministers.
Al-Saniora brandishes UNSC resolution 1559. The Muslim
Scholars Gathering: Destroying Lebanese reconciliation is a
violation of the Taif Accord" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th,
12/20)

"Bush acknowledges difficulty of the war on Iraq and the
mistakes of US intelligence and calls on Americans not to
surrender to despair" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/20)

"A US marine is killed in Baghdad. The military operation in
Al-Anbar is resumed. The Unified Iraqi Coalition leads in
preliminary elections results" (Government-owned Al-Thawra,
12/20)

"13 Israeli raids on Gaza. The Palestinian Authority: A
deliberate escalation to block elections" (Government-owned
Al-Thawra, 12/20)


3. Editorial Block Quotes:
"The Message of UNSC Resolution 1644"
Muhammed Khair al-Jamali, an editorialist in government-
owned Al-Thawra, commented (12/20): "The US State Department
spokesman's commented on Resolution 1644, saying: If the
Syrian government believes the world will turn its eyes away
from the investigation and stop searching for the killers of
Al-Hariri, then it is wrong....
"Does this American comment mean that Syria was satisfied
with the Security Council resolution while the US
Administration and the original drafters of the resolution
were not? Both conclusions are correct. The resolution did
not contain sanctions or threaten to use them as Washington
wanted and applied pressure to achieve. Nor did the
resolution support the call to expand the international
investigation commission's mission to include other recent
assassinations in Lebanon....
"But the United States was dissatisfied not only because the
resolution came out as it did, but also because a number of
countries rejected the original draft, which was meant to
politicize the investigation.
"China, Russia, Algeria, and Brazil rejected the original
draft resolution because it had political objectives out of
harmony with the provisions of the UN Charter.... Through
Resolution 1644, China, Russia, Algeria, and Brazil broke
the American-Western control on the United Nations and its
Security Council.... If Russia and China continue to
cooperate with Arabs and the Third World countries against
the American-Western monopoly of the United Nations, the
United States will no longer be able to use the
international organization and the Security Council as an
instrument to pressure the world and tailor it to its own
model and interests."
"US Democracy and Israeli Interests"
Ali Nasrallah, an editorialist in government-owned Al-
Thawra, wrote (12/20): "The US House of Representatives'
decision on HAMAS' participation in the Palestinian
elections is a flagrant interference in the affairs and
options of the countries of the region under the slogan of
spreading democracy....
"The United States no longer feels ashamed to use pressure
and political blackmail in its foreign policy. However, the
American decision against HAMAS and the PA is not
surprising, as it reflects the US Administration's known
bias toward and full adoption of Israel's extremist and anti-
peace positions.
"The United States' eagerness to safeguard Israel's security
and protect its interests is undoubtedly the basic factor in
the US policy, which conflicts with international laws and
resolutions and the UN Charter. But its interference in
Palestinian affairs in this way, under the guise of
democracy and the war on terror, is blackmail, a serious
disregard for all principles, and an attempt to abolish the
Palestinian people's right to resistance, self-
determination, and the building of their democratic system,
in which HAMAS is a basic pillar, as the movement enjoys
broad popular support, as appeared clearly in the victory it
achieved in the recent municipal elections."

"How Can We Save Today's World?"

Buthaina Sha'ban, Minister of Expatriates, wrote (12/19):
"I have read with great interest Ms. Condaleeza Rice's
article that was published in The Washington Post on 11
December 2005 under the title 'The Promise of Democratic
Peace: Why Promoting Freedom Is the Only Realistic Path to
Security'....

"In her article she summarized US policy as seeking 'to end
tyranny and dictatorship in the world by changing the nature
of regimes, and creating well-governed democratic states
that can meet the needs of their citizens and conduct
themselves responsibly in the international system. That is,
the US Administration believes that the danger comes from
the states that do not have good regimes.

"Ms. Rice's article coincided with the wide media coverage
of the scandal of secret prisons set up by the US
intelligence service in several European and Asian states
and what that means in practice, namely, that the
authorities of the most powerful democratic state are
arresting and torturing suspects in those prisons that are
located outside the jurisdiction of [American] law. I was
surprised by Ms Rice's justification of the existence of
such a policy of arrests and torture -- and perhaps death
under torture -- by saying it contributed to saving the
lives of Europeans, without commenting on those who were
arrested and tortured and who may have been innocent and
fallen victim merely for coming under suspicion, often as a
result of having an Arab or Muslim name or a dark
Mediterranean complexion....
"It can be said that Ms. Rice's premises will not lead to
the world to which everyone aspires, for many reasons: Good
and evil have existed since the beginning of creation.
Therefore it is not realistic or logical for the United
States to undertake the task of eliminating evil from the
world and cleanse it of that evil, and terrorism is absolute
evil....
"The strategy of achieving 'democratic peace' has ignored a
fundamental and vital matter for mankind since its birth,
namely, the rejection of the principle of foreign occupation
of the territory of others. Such occupation constitutes the
worst form of degradation of human dignity and the
aspirations of people to freedom. How then can democratic
peace be built in the Middle East when the Israeli
occupation is stifling the Arabs in Palestine, the Golan
Heights, and southern Lebanon....?
"It is necessary to focus on the principle of justice and
the human right to equal human dignity. There is no doubt
that that does not exist at all today, in the light of the
financing of media campaigns that disseminate misleading
news, and in the light of shelving documents that condemn
the policies of aggression, war crimes, and state terrorism.
"The mistaken and dangerous concept on which the policies of
a superpower have been built is that the Middle East has
produced an ideology of hatred, while that region is in fact
a model of a longstanding historical coexistence among the
followers of the divine religions....
"Undoubtedly, the emergence of a few individuals who feel
great anger as a result of the lack of justice and dignity
and express such anger in unacceptable criminal ways does
not mean there are no alternatives for putting matters right
if the will and intention exist, and does not mean that the
peoples of the region do not resist terrorism and
injustice. However, injustice is the solid basis on which
terror and terrorists flourish."
Johnson-Casares