GOF WELCOMES POSTPONEMENT OF ASAD VISIT TO VIENNA

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001393

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2014
TAGS: AU SY PREL ECIN LE FR
SUBJECT: GOF WELCOMES POSTPONEMENT OF ASAD VISIT TO VIENNA

REF: A. STATE 36905 (NOTAL)


B. DAMASCUS 1067

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons
1.4 (b) and (d)

(C) Poloff discussed the proposed U.S.-French demarche to the
Austrian government on the proposed Asad visit to Vienna (ref
a) and the subsequent postponement of this visit (ref b) with
MFA DAS-equivalent for the Levant Christian Jouret March 3.
Jouret was already aware of the indefinite postponement,
which he welcomed as a sign of Syria's increased isolation.
He added that the Austrian government had been unresponsive
to President Chirac's earlier appeal to President Schuessel
to cancel the visit, an invitation which was
"incomprehensible" in the current context. Jouret summed up
that there appeared to be no need for the proposed joint
approach to the GOA, but stressed that our close cooperation
on Lebanon should continue.
Leach