Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06DAMASCUS1187
2006-03-19 14:18:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:  

SYRIAN MEDIA BANNER RELATIONSHIP WITH SPAIN

Tags:  PGOV PREL SY SP 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #1187 0781418
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 191418Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7767
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0704
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 0275
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 001187 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL SY SP
SUBJECT: SYRIAN MEDIA BANNER RELATIONSHIP WITH SPAIN

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 001187

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL SY SP
SUBJECT: SYRIAN MEDIA BANNER RELATIONSHIP WITH SPAIN

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (U) Since late January, official Syrian media have played
up stories involving Spain, asserting strengthened relations
between the two countries. Examples of some of these stories
include a February 26 story about a Spanish grant of more
than USD one million for rural health centers, a March 2
story about Spain's King Carlos' meeting with the outgoing
Syrian Ambassador to Madrid Mohsin Bilal, and a March 9 story
about a Spanish company that won a USD 516 million contract
to build a power plant in northeastern Syria. A March 1
story in the daily Syria Times described a meeting between
Spanish FM Moratinos and Bilal, who is Syria's new
Information Minister, in which Moratinos reportedly expressed
"Spain's readiness to offer aid expertise to support the
process of modernization and building Syria is witnessing."


2. (C) A Spanish diplomat in Damascus dismissed the string
of news reports as an unwelcome consequence of Minister
Bilal's most previous job as Ambassador to Spain. Bilal
scheduled his farewell meetings with Spanish officials so
that he had one meeting a day, which could be covered in the
Syrian media, the diplomat said. Spain's policy toward Syria
remains in line with that of the European Union, with its
foremost demand that the SARG comply with the UNIIIC
investigation, insisted the diplomat.


3. (C) Nevertheless, FM Moratinos believes that if the SARG
cooperates with the investigation, international engagement
should follow, the diplomat said. That conviction is linked
to Moratinos' previous assignment as the EU's Special
Representative to the Middle East, the diplomat added. When
asked about plans for Moratinos to visit Damascus, the
diplomat carefully responded, "Not that I'm aware of in his
professional capacity." The diplomat said he was not aware
of a rumored visit by the Spanish Queen to the northern
Syrian city of Aleppo, which inaugurated March 18 its role as
this year's capital of Islamic culture. The Queen, who
visited Aleppo often during her teen-age years, and the King
have developed a liking for the Syrian President and First
Lady, the diplomat said.


4. (C) Comment: Syrian media tend to play up events that
undermine the impression of the country's isolation from the
rest of the international community. In recent months, these
stories have focused not only on Syria's relations with
Spain, but also with reported improvements in its ties to
Turkey and Russia. The Spanish diplomat may be correct in
his assessment that the new Syrian Minister of Information is
capitalizing on his Spanish contacts to lend the impression
of strengthened bilateral ties, but even so, Moratinos is the
only EU FM to have visited Damascus since Lebanese PM
Hariri's assassination in February 2005. Moratinos' March 7
"refueling stop" in Syria included a meeting with Syrian FM
Mu'allim. That meeting took place several days after the
SARG rather unceremoniously closed a EU-sponsored human
rights center and barely a month after protesters, encouraged
by SARG signals, burned or damaged three European embassies.
The SARG will likely continue to encourage Spain to serve, as
described in official media here, as a bridge between the
Arab world and the European Union.
SECHE