Damascus Media Reaction: Syria/Iraq, Syria/Italy,

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 001460

SIPDIS



SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/S:STHIBEAULT AND
JMCCARTER, 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: Syria/Iraq, Syria/Italy,
Syria/Malaysia, Israel/Palestinians, Lebanon, Rice (3/30-4/2)



1. Summary: Syrian papers reported Vice President Shara's
meeting with a delegation representing the Iraqi Islamic Party.
Headlines featured Shara's statement expressing the importance
of maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and forming a
government of national unity, and rejection of attempts to drive
a wedge among sons of one homeland.

Syrian papers also reported that Romano Prodi, President of the
Central Left Coalition in Italy, intends to cooperate
effectively with the Syrian leadership if his coalition wins in
the upcoming elections, underlining Syria's importance and
effective role in the Middle East.

Syrian papers featured a televised interview with Dr. Mohsen
Bilal, Minister of Information, who said that "Syria enjoys all
factors of strength and invincibility and is capable of resisting
the pressures which aim at isolating it. Regarding the situation
in Iraq, the minister underlined that "the occupation of Iraq
comes within a larger project that aims at drowning the region in
so-called creative chaos and at instigating civil war and
sectarian division to partition the region, to make it easier to
loots its resources. On Lebanon, the minister said that "Lebanon
would remain Syria's twin brother and it is in the interests of
both countries to have distinguished relations."

End of summary.


2. Selected Headlines:

"Vice President Shara meets a delegation from the Iraqi Islamic
Party and reiterates the importance of maintaining Iraq's
territorial integrity and forming a national government"
(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 3/30)

"President Asad reviews with a delegation of Malaysian experts
mechanisms of administrative, economic and institutional reform"
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2)

"Hailing the reform steps in Syria, President of the Central Left
Coalition in Italy Prodi: Syria's role in the Middle East is
constructive and fruitful" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2)

"Berri, Speaker of Lebanese Parliament, accuses the Parliamentary
majority of working to foil the national dialogue. Oun calls on
the government to shoulder its responsibilities or resign. A
number of MPs express satisfaction over President Lahoud's
stances" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2)

"Information Minister Bilal: Syria will not open its doors to any
party that opposes the Lebanese resistance" (Government-owned Al-
Thawra, 4/2)



"Extensive discontent over the stance of the 'March 14' powers,
who assailed the President and the Lebanese resistance. Lahoud:
They have joined suspicious projects; they are obstructing all
attempts to achieve reconciliation and construction. Finish
[Minister of Electricity]: The resistance is the greater
achievement. Franjieh [former MP]: No one can fool the Lebanese
People. Murad [former MP]: No early parliamentary elections. Sa'd
[Lebanese MP]: Why don't they resign?" (Government-owned Tishreen
4/1)

"Tension prevails in Lebanon over PM Al-Saniora's statement in
Khartoum about the resistance. Nasrallah [SecGen of Hizbollah]:
We will cut the hand of the one who tries to disarm the
resistance " (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 3/30)

"At least three Palestinians killed, 36 wounded following the
martyrdom operation in the Kadomim settlement" (Government-owned
Tishreen, 4/1)

"Palestinian Prime Minister Haniyyah calls for calm and
withdrawal of all armed forces from Gaza streets" (Government-
owned Al-Thawra, 4/2)

"An information source denies any tense meeting between President
Asad and Palestinian President Abbas, saying that talks in
Khartoum were very cordial. Palestinians commemorate Land Day.
Mashal: Hamas insists on its platform" (Government-owned Al-
Thawra, 3/30)
"Rice is received with anti-war demonstrations in Britain"
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/1)

"Rice acknowledges that the US committed thousands of tactical
mistakes in the war on Irag. Zbigniew Brzezinski [Former US
President Jimmy Carter's National Security Adviser] offered Bush
a plan on pullout from Iraq" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/1)


3. Editorial Block Quotes:

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"Dissidents s from the Homeland"

--------------

Isam Dari, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote
(4/1): "It is not unusual to see opposition forces in every
country in the world, but what is unusual and even disastrous is
that these forces sometimes seek the help of foreign forces
against governments and authorities, which represent
sovereignty, the constitution, and nationalism....

"Regrettably, our Arab nation has been plagued with such forces,
which conspire against the homeland and its leaders under the
pretext of defending the homeland....

"How can such forces seek the help of a superpower against the
homeland and come on the back of a US tank to take power....
These forces try to distort reality, mislead public opinion,
and buy consciences....

"The Arab street knows those who seek the help of foreign forces
against their homeland and their nation and try to undermine
national unity in this or that country.... Everybody has the
right to object to certain policies and positions adopted by
their governments, because homelands are built by diverse
opinions.... Any attempt to confiscate dialogue and decision-
making has nothing to do with democracy...."

--------------

"A Democracy that Assassinates Peace"

--------------

Samir al-Shibani, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen,
commented (4/1): "The United Nations and its resolutions are
used by the only superpower to dominate the entire world....

"Criminals who were chased by international courts have turned
into peace heroes.... The general who committed the Sabra and
Shatila massacre [in Lebanon] has turned into a brave man of
peace....

"Washington and many other world capitals have congratulated
Olmert on Qadima's victory in the elections, ignoring the fact
that when he was Mayor of Jerusalem, he changed the historical
features of the occupied city with the aim of Judaizing it....
At the same time, the HAMAS victory in the Palestinian elections
is viewed by some as a violation of democracy."

--------------

"The Significance of Kadima's Victory"

--------------

Ahmad Hamadah, an editorialist in government-owned Al-Thawra,

wrote (3/31): "Israeli Prime Minister Olmert is adopting
extremist and racist policies and trying to impose a fait
accompli policy on the Palestinians and the international
community....

"The victory scored by the Qadima Party in the recent Israeli
parliamentary elections shows that Israelis still insist on
encroaching upon Arab rights and occupying Arab territories....

"The Israeli public voted for Olmert's plan to demarcate
Israel's borders unilaterally in conflict international
legitimacy and the resolutions of the UN Security Council....
This victory means that the occupied Arab territories will
remain under occupation during the next four years because this
party's plans are based on two key points:

"First, there will be Jewish expansion at the expense of the
territories of the presumed Palestinian state by annexing the
major settlements and Jerusalem for alleged demographic reasons
and by annexing the Jordan Valley for false security reasons.
Thus, there will be no Palestinian state within the borders that
existed in June 1967 and no East Jerusalem as a capital of that
state.

"Second, Kadima will decide the identity of the Israeli entity
as a Jewish entity at the expense of the Arab Palestinian people
in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the 1948-occupied land. In
other words, the results of the elections were the most obvious
plan to declare war on the Palestinian people's legitimate
rights and serve the Zionist project."

Seche