TFLE01: SYRIA DAILY SITREP 17 FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 6,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 003851

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM LE SY
SUBJECT: TFLE01: SYRIA DAILY SITREP 17 FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 6,
2006


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Michael H. Corbin for Reasons 1.4 b an
d d


1. (S) Summary: Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal
called the August 4 al-Qaa strike that killed 26 Syrians "a
racist, fascist and terrorist act committed with American
weapons." The Syrian Foreign Minister on August 5 sent two
letters regarding the al-Qaa killings to the UN SYG and the
head of the UN Security Council, calling for an immediate and
unconditional cease-fire and Israeli withdrawal beyond the
Blue Line. (Note: The SARG has not shown any indication of
exploiting this event domestically to provoke
demonstrations.) Arab League SYG Amre Mousa arrived in
Damascus on August 5 for an official two-day visit with SARG
officials in advance of the emergency meeting of Arab foreign
ministers to be held in Beirut on August 7. Syrian military
units remain non-provocative and in survivability positions.
The Consular section received 85 walk-in requests for ACS
services on August 3, approximately the same number as the
previous business day. End Summary.

Political/Military


2. (U) The following are political updates:

-- An Israeli air strike on the Lebanese village of al-Qaa on
August 4 killed 33 farm workers, including 26 Syrians. Media
contacts report that most of the dead were Syrian Kurds from
poor villages in northern Syria. Draped in Syrian flags, the
26 Syrians, including six women, were buried in the village
of Jandareez, near the Turkish border, on the orders of
Syrian President Bashar al-Asad. Syria's Grand Mufti, senior
Christian clerics and SARG officials attended the funeral.
Information Minister Bilal told Syrian television: "This new
massacre is a racist, fascist and terrorist act committed
with American weapons." Syrian PM Mohammed Naji Otri
received a telephone call on August 5 from Lebanese Prime
Minister, Fouad Sinoura, expressing the latter's condolences
for the Syrian deaths in al-Qaa. As of August 6, Embassy is
unaware of any demonstrations protesting the Syrian deaths.

-- The Syrian Foreign Ministry on August 5 sent two identical
letters regarding the events in al-Qaa to the UN SYG and the
head of the UN Security Council, calling for an immediate and
unconditional cease-fire and Israeli withdrawal from southern
Lebanon to beyond the Blue Line.

-- The Arab League SYG Amre Mousa arrived in Damascus on
August 5 for a two-day official visit to discuss developments
in Lebanon and coordinate arrangements for the emergency
meeting of Arab foreign ministers to be held in Beirut on
August 7. Syrian official media reported that Mousa met with
President Asad on August 5 about efforts to reach a
cease-fire.

-- Asad spoke with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by
phone on the night of August 5 about continued Israeli
military action in Lebanon and the means by which to support
Lebanon, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency
(SANA).

-- Syrian FM Walid Mu'allim received phone calls on August 4
from Turkish FM Abdullah Gul and Italian FM Masimo d'Alema
about the international community's efforts to reach a
cease-fire and Syria's position that Israel must withdraw
beyond the Blue Line in southern Lebanon, according to SANA.

-- Syria's Information Minister Bilal met on August 4 with
American professor Franklin Lamb from Americans Concerned for
Middle East Peace, according to official Syrian media. Lamb
also met with NGOs as well in Syria, including briefly with
the ICRC, before traveling to Lebanon, but did not seek a
meeting with the Embassy.

Military


3. (S) The following are military updates:

-- DAO reports that Syrian military units remain
non-provocative and in survivability positions. Syrian units
are placing low-priority vehicles in easily identifiable
locations, possibly as part of a deception campaign to draw
attention and fire away from combat systems located elsewhere.

DAMASCUS 00003851 002 OF 002



Consular


4. (U) The following are consular updates:

-- The Consular section received 85 walk-in requests for ACS
services on August 3, approximately the same number as the 90
inquiries on the previous business day.

Economic


5. (U) The following are economic updates:

-- The Syrian Minister of Social Affairs and Labor estimates
that as of August 2 there were approximately 180,000
displaced Lebanese in Syria, with some 67,000 of them located
in makeshift government shelters such as schools and camps,
and the rest staying with host families or in hotels and
apartments. In addition, UNHCR estimates a continuing daily
net influx of 5,000-8,000 refugees into Syria from Lebanon,
but noted that a number of males are returning to Lebanon for
"family matters", according to the UN Office for the
Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs.

-- Contributions to private initiatives and the
SARG-sponsored campaign to collect humanitarian assistance
for displaced Lebanese continue unregulated and uncontrolled,
in violation of SARG laws banning cash donations.

-- Seven planes from other Arab countries and Pakistan landed
in Lattakia on August 4-5, carrying humanitarian aid for
displaced Lebanese in Lebanon and Syria. Closure of the
Beirut-Tripoli road will likely complicate efforts to deliver
this aid to Lebanon.
CORBIN