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

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 002163 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, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian Territories (5/9) ¶1. Summary: Syrian papers reported that Vice President Shara received Sheikh Jawad al-Khalisi, Secretary General of the Iraqi National Foundation Congress (INFC); at their meeting Shara reiterated Syria's condemnation of terrorist attacks that target innocent civilians and sow seeds of partition among the Iraqi people. Papers also reported that Juergen Cain Kuelbel, German researcher and criminologist and author of "Hariri's Assassination: Hidden Evidence," held a press conference at the Omayyad Hotel in which he confirmed that Syria is innocent of the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri and other killings in Lebanon. Mr. Kuelbel stated that assassination crimes in Lebanon date back to the civil war period and the crimes committed under the Israeli occupation. He added that the Israeli intelligence services and their proxies stood behind the assassination of Hariri, as the jamming equipment used by the Hariri motorcade had stopped working an hour before the assassination. The German criminologist indicated that such sophisticated jamming cannot be done without a central control network, adding that these capabilities can only be possessed by Israel. He pointed out that the assassination had been exploited to target Syria and pressure it into abandoning its national and pan-Arab stances. Papers also reported that Israeli warplanes on Monday renewed violation of Lebanese airspace and flew over the Tyre, Bint Jubayl and Marjouyun areas then turned left above the town of Alma towards the occupied Palestinian territories." End of summary. ¶2. Selected Headlines: "Vice-President al-Shara discusses with Sheikh Jawad al-Khalisi, Secretary General of the Iraqi National Foundation Congress SIPDIS (INFC),latest developments in the Iraqi arena, reiterating the importance of maintaining Iraq's national unity. Shara reiterates Syria's condemnation of terrorist attacks that target innocent civilians and sow seeds of partition among the Iraqi people" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/9) "Hanieh confirms sacredness of Palestinian blood: We do not allow civil strife. Olmert pledges a state with a Jewish majority to fulfill Hertzel's dream" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/9) "Lebanese rejection of foreign intervention expands. Nasrallah: US aggression will fail as Israel aggression failed" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/8) "Ministry of Petroleum & Mineral Resources signs a contract with US Marathon Oil Company to invest in petroleum and gas in northern Homs" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/9) "Blair: Britain might reduce forces in Iraq soon. Two US soldiers and scores of Iraqis killed in Baghdad, Tal Afar and Ba'quoba" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/9) ¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: -------------- "Roots of Terrorism" -------------- Shawkat Abu-Fakhr, an editorialist in government-owned Al-Ba'th, said (5/9): "Israel has escalated its air raids against Gaza.... The new Israeli Prime Minister inaugurated his term in office with appalling massacres against Palestinians and promised to proceed with the war of liquidation and assassinations to tighten the noose on the Palestinian people and their government.... "The new Israeli government will apparently continue to practice aggression and killing in order to implement its unilateral plans and to force the Palestinian Authority to embark on negotiations based on the Israeli agenda.... "We warn of a humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territories with consequences that no one will be able to control.... Arabs must step up their support for Palestinians.... Unfortunately some Arabs are trying to woo Olmert or count on him.... This will only lead to an escalation of the campaign against Palestinians and Arabs...." -------------- -------------- "Isn't it Time for them to Be Ashamed of Themselves?" -------------- -------------- Omar Jaftali, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, commented (5/9) "Isn't it high time for the Western world to be ashamed of its political hypocrisy and bias toward Israel? "Despite the tragic situation in the Palestinian territories, no one in the Western countries wants to respect human law and facilitate the delivery of aid to Palestinians. Instead, they continue to blackmail Palestinians and to bargain with them over sovereign and legal issues, with flagrant interference in their national affairs.... "It is now time for Western countries to be ashamed of themselves and to say a fair and just word about the Palestinian question...." -------------- "But It Is the UN" -------------- As'ad Abbud, a columnist in government-owned Al-Thawra, maintained (5/9): "The UN is serving US interests and agendas.... It does not represent the international community.... Yet countries of the South have an interest in maintaining the international organization and must continue to deal with it.... "For the foreseeable future, we will not have any alternative to confront American hegemony in the United Nations and over international decisions. The international organization will continue to be very busy with Iran's nuclear file, but definitely not with Israel's arsenal of nuclear weapons. It will continue to be busy with what is happening in Darfur, but definitely not with the racial separation wall in the Palestinian territories and the daily slaughter of the Palestinians. It will also continue to be busy with the Syrian- Lebanese border.... "There has never been a border problem between Syria and Lebanon.... And, to the disappointment of everyone, there will be no border problem between Syria and Lebanon. When Lebanon is led by its sincere Arab sons, without games, lies, falsehoods, and allegations, there will be no problem between the two countries over two inches of land.... "We must deal in full courage with the United Nations and what it wants. And it is very dangerous to trust everything that comes out of it." -------------- "May 5, 2006, a Historical Day" -------------- Buthaina Sha'ban, Minister of Expatriate Affairs, commented (5/9): "Friday, May 5, is a historical day, on which the results of the British local elections were announced and the Amnesty International report on American abuse of prisoners was published.... "Millions of Britons demonstrated against the Iraq war in 2003, many of them carrying children on their shoulders "to draw the attention of the government to the fact that the war was against innocence, childhood, and the human life that God granted us." "I could not believe at the time that the demonstrations that expressed a living human conscience failed to change the government's determination to support an unjust war against a peaceful people and a historical nation at the heart of human civilization. "The war on Iraq has brought disasters.... It has also given Israel a free hand to confiscate Palestinian lands, kill and displace Palestinians, and liquidate a genuine people who have been living on their land for thousands of years." "Between that time and May 5, 2006, the Spanish people said their word against that unjust war. The Spanish Prime Minister kept his promise and withdrew Spanish forces from Iraq immediately after his victory. The Italian people also said their word and voted for the opponents of the war. And here are the British people saying their loud and escalating word against the war and against pain and evil. The American people are also saying their word through successive demonstrations and fair commentaries that some writers are trying to convey to the world conscience. The resignation of Karl Rove and CIA Director Porter Goss are timid steps to address a deteriorating crisis in the United States, represented by the American people's growing awareness of the massive damage this war is causing to American and Iraqi families.... "Amnesty International's report on prisoner abuse shows the weakness that has afflicted American 'democracy', as it now uses Stalin-style methods against freedoms and rights.... There are always tyrants, warmongers, and criminals sanctioning torture and genocide and using attractive language to justify it, but ultimately peoples prevail in their defense of freedoms, dignities, and rights.... "Arabs and Muslims must look at Evo Morales, Chavez, and Lula da Silva, who are returning their countries' resources to their peoples and preserving the dignity of these peoples against a ferocious campaign while the tyrants are falling one after the other." Seche