SYRIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER VISIT TO DOHA

C O N F I D E N T I A L DOHA 001798 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2015 TAGS: PREL SY QA UNSC SUBJECT: SYRIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER VISIT TO DOHA Classified By: Ambassador Chase Untermeyer for reason 1.4 (d). ¶1. (U) Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Moallem visited Doha for several hours October 30, meeting with the Amir and Foreign Minister. His tour also included Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi. According to reports, Moallem emphasized Syria's desire the cooperate with the Mehlis Committee and said that President Bashar al-Assad has ordered the creation of a judicial committee to investigate the Hariri assassination while underscoring the dangers of destabilizing Syria. SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION THREATENS REGIONAL STABILITY -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) In a meeting with local Qatari press, Moallem characterized the Security Council draft resolution as "extremely dangerous." He warned that the "lack of stability in the Syrian situation will reflect in a general way on the situation in the region." He said the draft resolution targets Syria and regional stability generally instead of working to expose the truth of the Hariri assassination. COMMENT -------------- ¶3. (C) The Syrian Deputy FM does not appear to be succeeding in his efforts to garner broad Arab support for Syria regarding his country's predicament at the UN. Nevertheless, Qatari FM Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani travels to Damascus today (October 31) and on to Cairo to continue discussions. The Qataris will note that Moallem reported "solidarity" from Saudi King Abdullah. But scenarios of regional instability will have more weight in swaying Qatari leadership to help protect Syria from serious consequences. Indeed a perception that Article 7 of the UN Charter could be envoked might cause concern in the GOQ, based on the article's authorization of the use of force. UNTERMEYER