TFLE01: SYRIA DAILY SITREP 13 FOR MONDAY JULY 31,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 003742

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR WALLER, LONDON FOR TSOU, AMMAN FOR KANNESHIRO,
CAIRO FOR CHEYNE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF LE SY
SUBJECT: TFLE01: SYRIA DAILY SITREP 13 FOR MONDAY JULY 31,
2006


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche for Reasons 1.4 b and
d


1. (S) Summary: For the second time in two days Israel bombed
the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, more than
three miles from the Syrian border. Syrian artillery,
missile and ground forces are being defensively dispersed
from their garrisons throughout Syria and Syrian air defenses
are in a heightened state of defensive readiness. Limited
pro-Hizballah demonstrations continue to occur daily in
downtown Damascus. Local police have stepped up their
efforts to protect the Embassy. The Embassy's Emergency
Action Committee (EAC) has imposed a midnight - 5 a.m. curfew
and a 50-mile travel limit on American personnel. On July
30, Syrian President Bashar al-Asad condemned Israel's attack
on the Lebanese village of Qana as "state terrorism", while
SARG Information Minister Mohsen Bilal insisted on an
"unconditional" cease-fire prior to any negotiations on
resolving the current crisis. A Syrian Arab Red Crescent
convoy is expected to travel to Lebanon on July 31 or August

1. End Summary.

Political/Military


2. (S) The following are political/military updates:

-- Embassy contacts and media reports have confirmed
additional Israeli bombing of the border between Lebanon and
Syria near the Masna-Jdeidah crossing on the night of July

30. The raid struck between the Lebanese and Syrian
immigration offices, but on the Lebanese side, more than
three miles from the Syrian border. The border crossing
remained open Sunday, though passable only on foot.

-- DAO reports that Syrian artillery, missile and ground
forces are being defensively dispersed from their garrisons
throughout Syria, in what appears to be a defensive effort to
enhance the survivability of Syrian forces against Israeli
attack by relocating them away from known positions. Syrian
air defenses are in a heightened state of defensive readiness.

-- Syrian president Bashar al-Asad decried Israel's attack on
the Lebanese village of Qana as "state terrorism" in a
telephone conversation with Lebanese president Emile Lahoud,
according to official Syrian news agency, SANA. In his first
public comments on the fighting since the crisis erupted July
12, Asad declared, "the Syrian people are ready to offer
anything that might support, help and bolster Lebanon." Asad
met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit in
Damascus on July 30 to discuss "contacts underway to reach a
cease-fire in Lebanon." (AFP)

-- SARG Information Minister Mohsen Bilal was quoted on July
30 as saying that Syria would insist on an "unconditional"
cease-fire before any negotiations could proceed on resolving
the regional crisis. Bilal also denied Israel's claim that
the Hizballah rocket that struck the Israeli town of Afula on
July 29 was Syrian-made, according to media reports.

-- Police effectively quelled a demonstration by small groups
of men waving Hizballah flags the evening of July 29 in
downtown Damascus, Umawiyeen Square.

-- RSO reported two demonstrations on July 31 in support of
the Lebanese and Palestinian people:

1) A vocal but benign group of 100-150, mostly
children, gathered at the Red Cross headquarters near the
Embassy and marched through downtown Damascus carrying
Syrian, Palestinian and Hizballah flags. The crowd, followed
by two TV cameras, dispersed peacefully after the
demonstration. No extraordinary security was deployed around
the Embassy, nor was any required.

2) A "calm" crowd, peaking at 1700 people, marched
through downtown Damascus to the U.N. office carrying Syrian,
Palestinian and Hizballah flags. The demonstrators dispersed
by themselves and no extraordinary security was deployed
around the Embassy.

-- Contacts have noted a lack of males between the age of
18-35 registered in Syrian centers taking in displaced
Lebanese.

DAMASCUS 00003742 002 OF 002



Security


3. (C) The following are security updates:

-- RSO has received confirmation that Syrian police are
working to protect the Embassy and other locations, with
three groups of 150 riot police in Damascus put on heightened
alert as a precautionary measure and additional plainclothes
security officers positioned near the Embassy as well. As of
July 31, the uniformed police posted around the Chancery's
perimeter - withdrawn last month without notice - had
returned.

-- To limit the exposure of Embassy personnel to the
potential threat posed by rising anti-American sentiment
among the local population, the Embassy's Emergency Action
Committee (EAC) has imposed:

1) a midnight - 5 a.m. curfew for American personnel;

2) a 50-mile (from the Embassy) travel limit on
personal and official travel. Travel beyond this radius
requires approval by the Charge and RSO.

-- DAO reports that one of its vehicles was vandalized, i.e.
"keyed", overnight. U.S. Embassy vehicles are recognizable
by their diplomatic license plates.

Consular


4. (U) The following are consular updates:

-- The Consular section received 75 walk-in requests for ACS
services on July 30, substantially down from 148 inquiries
the previous day. Consular noted that an usually high number
of these walk-ins posed visa-related questions.

Economic


5. (C) The following are economic updates:

-- A Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy carrying relief
supplies traveled successfully to Lebanon on July 27.
Another Red Crescent convoy is expected to travel to Lebanon
on July 31 or August 1, according to the Red Crescent
President Abdul Rahman Attar. Attar stressed that despite
humanitarian contributions from several countries (not
including the U.S., he noted),medicine is still desperately
needed.

-- Embassy FSNs report that a variety of commodities
(including fresh produce) from Lebanon have begun reappearing
in Syrian markets at approximately three times their usual
prices. (Comment: This may indicate the resumption, albeit
with difficulty, of cross-border overland trade networks
after a period in which Lebanese products, especially
perishable items, did not reach Syrian markets.)

-- Syrian official press reports that since the beginning of
the crisis 12 planes have arrived in Latakia, carrying 373
tons of goods destined for Lebanon, including food, blankets
and medicine.

-- A mission from Mercy Malaysia, in Syria to assess the
humanitarian situation, noted 25 refugee centers in and
around Damascus.
SECHE