RIAD SEIF'S PROPOSALS FOR USG ACTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000275 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM SY SUBJECT: RIAD SEIF'S PROPOSALS FOR USG ACTION REF: DAMASCUS 00254 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen Seche for reasons 1.4(b)/(d) ¶1. (C) During a January 24 meeting (reftel),Former MP and recently released Damascus Spring detainee Riad Seif presented Charge with a list of suggested actions the USG could take to support opposition efforts in Syria. The following is a translation from the original Arabic: ¶2. (C) BEGIN TEXT: ¶A. Continue political pressure on the following cases: the case of the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the case of political prisoners, and the case of the missing Syrian and Lebanese. ¶B. International and regional diplomatic embargoes. ¶C. Restrict the movement of Syrian officials, the government, or the (Ba'th) Party. Do not invite them to participate in any conference or activities in any political or economic fields. ¶D. Do not sign any agreement, do not present any aid but only under conditions which add difficulties for the regime and weaken its hegemony. ¶E. Seizure of the assets of Syrian officials, and do not allow them to use these assets. ¶F. Provide effective political protection to the symbols of the democratic movement and civil society activists. ¶G. Unveil the documents which condemn the regime and incriminate the regime for the past four decades, whether in respect to human rights crimes committed during the 1980 incident in Syria or during the Syrian presence in Lebanon; unveil the bank accounts of the symbols of the regime to reveal the extent of embezzlement practiced against the Syrian people. ¶H. Formation of an International Commission to investigate the missing persons cases. ¶I. Formation of an International Commission to review the detention, imprisonment, and torture practices in Syrian prisons and detention security agencies. ¶J. International campaign (Parliamentary Union, etc.) to release political prisoners; at the top of the list should be conscientious objectors and freedom activists. ¶K. A focused media campaign on the regime's crimes and violations of the human rights and the embezzlement of the Syrian people. ¶L. Media programs which allow, first and foremost, cultural discourse between the Syrian and the American peoples and between the Eastern and the Western worlds in general. ¶M. Arrange visits and courses to rehabilitate scholars and media personnel from Syria; if possible, establish camps where Syrian and American youth can meet. ¶N. Encourage translation activities on both sides to enhance cultural interplay between the two countries. ¶O. Limit (USG interaction) to dealing only with Syrian opposition who have proved their credibility; avoid dealing with people like Nabil Fayyad and al-Ghadry. END TEXT. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Since Seif delivered this list (handwritten in Arabic) to us in the course of our meeting yesterday, we did not have the opportunity to discuss it or clarify any of its elements, some of which do not seem fully thought out, and others which appear impractical. Nevertheless, the list strikes us as a useful starting point in our discussions with Seif about how the USG can engage to increase pressure on the regime, and the tenor and direction of the list strike us as consistent with the current thrust of U.S. policy towards Syria. SECHE