SYRIA SEEKS TO BLOCK ADMISSION OF ISRAEL'S MAGEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 002864

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2016
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM ICRC IS SY
SUBJECT: SYRIA SEEKS TO BLOCK ADMISSION OF ISRAEL'S MAGEN
DAVID ADOM

REF: STATE 95184

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Summary: Syria's President Bashar al-Asad has
authorized a Syrian effort to block Israel's Magen David Adom
(MDA) into the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement at its June 20-21 international conference in
Geneva, according to the head of the International Committee
of the Red Cross' (ICRC) Damascus office. Syrian officials
had previously shown much greater flexibility on the issue
but settled on this stance as they became convinced Israel
would block plans to build an ICRC clinic in the Golan
Heights, ICRC's Syria chief said. Swiss FM Micheline
Calmy-Rey canceled a visit to Syria this week after the SARG
refused to limit the agenda to the June 20-21 conference, the
ICRC delegation chief said. Separately, ICRC's Syria office
is coordinating with the Iraqi Red Crescent on a plan to send
medical and relief supplies by road through Syria to Sunni
areas of Anbar province in western Iraq. End Summary.


2. (C) Syria plans to oppose entry of Israel's Magen David
Adom (MDA) into the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement at the international organization's June 20-21
conference in Geneva, according to the head of the
International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) Damascus
office, Jean-Jacques Fresard, on June 14. Representatives of
the Organization of the Islamic Conference agreed June 13 to
take a similar hard-line on the issue, and the Arab League is
expected to adopt the same stance when it meets on June 15,
said Fresard, who had just returned from a meeting with the
director of the Syrian MFA's Department of International
Organizations, Muhammad Faisal al-Hamwi.


3. (C) Syrian officials had shown much greater flexibility
on the issue in previous meetings, but Hamwi indicated that
the SARG settled on this stance as it was convinced Israel
would eventually block plans to build an ICRC clinic in the
Golan Heights, Fresard said. Additionally, Hamwi cited
complaints by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society that the
Israelis had not permitted it a greater degree of movement in
East Jerusalem, Fresard said. Hamwi indicated that Syrian
President Bashar al-Asad had authorized the hard line stance
toward the MDA's entry, the ICRC delegation chief said. As
it was too late to postpone the June 20-21 conference, the
first representative to speak at the meeting would likely
seek an adjournment, Fresard speculated.


4. (C) Additionally, Fresard said that Swiss FM Micheline
Calmy-Rey had canceled at the last minute a planned trip to
Syria this week after the SARG and Swiss diplomats failed to
reach an agreement on the agenda. Calmy-Rey had insisted the
discussions focus on the June 20-21 conference, while the
SARG had sought talks on a full range of bilateral issues,
according to Fresard, who is Swiss.


5. (C) Separately, ICRC's Syria office is coordinating with
the Iraqi Red Crescent on a plan to send medical and relief
supplies by road through Syria to Sunni areas of Anbar
province in western Iraq, according to Fresard. The Syrian
Arab Red Crescent would also assist. The trucks would take
supplies to the now-closed border crossing in Al-Bukamal
where they would be handed over to Iraqi Red Crescent local
staff, Fresard said. The ICRC has been trying without
success for months to send supplies to western Iraq but the
roads are too dangerous, Fresard said. This means that most
ICRC supplies in Iraq are going to Shiite areas, which is a
bad optic, he said.
SECHE