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