SYRIA PLAYS WITH THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 002032

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2016
TAGS: PGOV KPAL SY
SUBJECT: SYRIA PLAYS WITH THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE

REF: A. DAM 1853

B. 05 DAM 4804

Classified By: Classified by Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Summary: Since Palestinian Authority FM Zahar's
April visit, the SARG has showcased its public support for
the Palestinians, with a fund-raising campaign on behalf of
the Palestinian people, public statements, and participation
at a rally in a Palestinian refugee camp. According to an
Egyptian diplomat, these steps are part of a policy shift
that began last September when Syria's President Asad met
with the leaders of the rejectionist groups based in
Damascus. It seems clear that the regime is exploiting
Zahar's visit to underscore Syrian attention to the
Palestinian cause, burnishing its pan-Arab credentials and
reminding Washington once again of Syria's influence on
regional conflicts. End Summary.


2. (U) Since the visit in late April of Palestinian
Authority FM Mahmoud Zahar (ref A),the SARG has highlighted
its support for the Palestinians. On April 30, as announced
during Zahar's visit, the SARG launched a countrywide public
fund-raising campaign set to run until May 10 on behalf of
the Palestinian people, according to official Syrian media.
The head of the Syrian Popular Committee in Support of the
Palestinians, Ahmad Abdul Karim, said that Syria has never
been neutral toward any Arab cause, including the
Palestinians, according to press reports. The committee has
reportedly raised 18 million USD since it was founded five
years ago, according to news reports, which did not include
specific details about the funds' specific destination or how
they would be transmitted.


3. (U) On April 30, the SARG denounced in official media the
U.S. annual report on terrorism, asserting that terrorism has
increased because of the U.S. refusal to resolve the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and because of the U.S. invasion
of Iraq. As to the linkage between terrorism and
Damascus-based rejectionist leaders, the SARG said that "the
Palestinian people have proved through ballot-boxes that
Syria has been and is still right in its firm distinction
between terrorism and legitimate struggle against
occupation," according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).


4. (C) At an April 28 "Martyrs' Day" celebration at the
Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, Ba'ath Party
Regional Command member Bassam Janbayh gave a speech
asserting that Syria sees the Palestinian question as the
first Arab cause, according to media reports. Ahmad Jibril,
head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC),also spoke at the event,
which was attended by thousands of people and some members of
the diplomatic corps, about the treachery of countries
aligned with Israel, including those who signed the Camp
David Accords, an Egyptian diplomat said. (Note: According
to this mid-level diplomat, the Egyptian DCM walked out of
the event, prompting a subsequent apology from Jibril's No.
2, Talal Naji. The Egyptian Ambassador later denied to
Charge that his DCM had walked out, stating that, while he
remained at the ceremony, he subsequently called Naji to
complain and obtained an apology for Jibril's rhetoric, which
Naji dismissed, asserting that Jibril "is an old man.")
Other speakers included Hasan Duhruj member of the political
bureau of Lebanese Hizballah, and Maher al-Taher,
Damascus-based representative of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, the media reported. Speakers hailed
Syria's national and pan-Arab positions and attributed
international pressure on Syria to its support for the
Palestinian cause and other "just causes," according to a
report in the official Tishreen newspaper.


5. (C) When asked whether he thought that SARG public
support for the Palestinians was part of a stepped-up
campaign on their behalf, the Egyptian diplomat shook his
head and said it was a continuation of the policy shift that
occurred last September when President Bashar al-Asad held a
highly publicized meeting with Damascus-based Palestinian
leaders (ref B). The Syrians were flourishing the
Palestinian card as part of their "hand," which also includes
Hizballah and Iran, the diplomat said. Syria had played a
role in the recent improvement of Iran-Hamas ties, with the
Iranians providing financial support to Hamas despite
ideological differences, the diplomat said. Iran also
continues to finance Palestinian Islamic Jihad, coordinating
this assistance through an Iranian accountant based in
Damascus, said the diplomat.

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6. (C) Other contacts discounted the seriousness of the
impact of recent SARG moves. Economist gadfly Riyad Abrash
described it as "auctioneering," making a big fuss with very
little action to back it up. Abrash added that it made the
Syrians look good in the Arab world, especially when others
were too intimidated by U.S. pressure to offer the
Palestinians and Hamas any support. Abrash also dismissed
the amount of money likely to be raised, terming it
insignificant.


7. (C) Comment: It is true that the SARG shifted course
with the Palestinians when Asad met with the Palestinian
groups last September. Since that time, the groups' leaders
have been more active, speaking in mosques and refugee camps
and issuing public statements from the Syrian capital,
according to our contacts. While it is possible that current
events are just reflections of this policy adjustment, it
also seems clear that the regime is exploiting Zahar's visit
to underscore Syrian attention to a key pan-Arab cause and to
remind Washington once again of Syria's influence on regional
conflicts.
SECHE