SYRIA'S RIAD SEIF A HALF PRISONER, DAMASCUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 004314

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR WALLER, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SY
SUBJECT: SYRIA'S RIAD SEIF A HALF PRISONER, DAMASCUS
DECLARATION GROUP CONTINUES WORK

REF: DAMASCUS 4000

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Michael H. Corbin for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Summary: Former Damascus Spring detainee Riad Seif
met with A/DCM for 90-minutes August 30 to discuss ongoing
events in Syria, including organizing by the Damascus
Declaration group. Recently the group issued a statement
criticizing the August 15 speech by Syrian President Bashar
al-Asad and calling on Syria to stop interfering in internal
Lebanese issues, Seif said. The Damascus Declaration group
is working on its political program and would like to call
for a national conference in six months to discuss publicly
the group's ideas in the run-up to Syria's 2007 legislative
and presidential elections, Seif said. Since July 14, Syrian
security have required him to report daily to Internal
Security, said Seif, noting, however, that he continues to
meet openly with foreign diplomats. End Summary.


2. (C) CURRENT CLIMATE IN SYRIA: Former Damascus Spring
detainee and former Damascus MP Riad Seif met with A/DCM for
90-minutes on August 30 to discuss ongoing events in Syria.
In the aftermath of the Israel-Hizballah conflict and Asad's
August 15 speech (reftel),the international community
understands more clearly how much the regime wants to
intervene for its own advantage in Lebanon, according to
Seif. This undermines the regime in the eyes of the
international community and strengthens the position of
Syria's internal opposition, Seif said. The Damascus
Declaration group issued a statement August 30, criticizing
Asad's speech and calling on Syria and other Arab regimes to
stop interfering in Lebanon's internal issues, said Seif, who
described the lengthy process of getting consensus for the
statement from all of the factions involved in the Damascus
Declaration group. (Comment: Seif did not elaborate on how
the statement was circulated but hinted it was done by
Internet, which means only a very small percentage of Syrians
would have seen it. We have not yet heard any discussion of
such a statement by any of our other contacts.)


3. (C) DAMASCUS DECLARATION ORGANIZING: The Damascus
Declaration group continues to organize in Syria, albeit with
caution, given that group members are watched and all phones
are monitored, said Seif, noting with pride that diverse
Syrian factions are working together politically for the
first time in 30 years. The group, which issued the Damascus
Declaration in October 2005, held a meeting two months ago
attended by 32 leaders from different interest groups and
developed an organizational chart that includes 22
representatives, Seif said. Subsequently, the 22
representative met and elected Seif the group's president,
Seif said. The group is working out its program and would
like to call for a national conference in six months to
discuss publicly the group's ideas in the run-up to Syria's
2007 legislative and presidential elections, said Seif
without elaborating.


4. (C) Such a conference, emphasizing liberal ideas, would
be important because at present Islamists have more
opportunity to make themselves heard in Syria than do liberal
thinkers, who only have occasional opportunities via the
Internet, Seif said. A liberal dialogue with the population
started during the civil society Damascus Spring movement in
late 2000 and early 2001, but the regime saw it was too
dangerous and arrested the leaders, Seif said. If free
elections were to be held in Syria, "some sheikhs" would
likely come to power, but the subsequent election cycle would
result in wins by more secular liberals, Seif speculated.


5. (C) BUILDING TIES WITH THE U.S.: It is in Syria's
interest to build "normal, good relations with the U.S." said
Seif. "That's what the Israelis do, but we do the opposite."
When asked whether a USG statement on behalf of detained
political prisoners would help now, Seif made clear that he
did not believe such a statement would have a positive
effect, asserting that the U.S. "has no carrots" now that the
SARG has stopped hoping for improved relations with the U.S.
Political prisoners such as Kamal Labwani, Syrian
intellectual Michel Kilo, and human rights lawyer Anwar
al-Bunni are building political capital by spending time in
prison, Seif said. They will not suffer unduly as long as
they know that their families are cared for, said Seif,
noting that he belonged to a Damascus Declaration committee
that was providing stipends of up to USD 120 per month to
prisoners' families. (Seif did not indicate where his group
was getting the funding for this activity.)

DAMASCUS 00004314 002 OF 002




6. (C) SARG TACTICS: As of July 14, Syrian security have
required him to report daily to Fouad Nassif Kheirbek's
Internal Security headquarters, said Seif, noting that often
all that is required is that he "show up and read a book or
sleep" until the "old general" named Turki Alamadin handling
his case releases him. Seif added that he made a point of
going every morning to his appointment, with the exception of
August 29 when he traveled to Lattakia to pay his condolences
to the family of Michel Kilo, whose mother passed away. "I'm
dealing with them (SARG officials) very carefully," said
Seif, explaining that he listened to but flatly refused SARG
demands that he withdraw from the Damascus Declaration group
and refrain from meetings with foreign diplomats. "My
strategy is to force the regime to choose between two bad
choices -- either arrest me, giving me more publicity, or
allow me to continue political organizing," Seif said.


7. (C) Seif said he had regular meetings with diplomats and
had been scheduled to hold an afternoon meeting with
Germany's deputy FM in early August, but that security
services had learned of the meeting and kept him at their
offices for hours. Seif said he had also been scheduled to
meet with the German FM, before the official canceled his
August 15 trip to Damascus because of Asad's strident speech
of the same day. (Note: Seif's new wife, Pelican Mourad,
works at the German Goethe Institute in Damascus.)


8. (C) Comment: Seif seemed to be in good spirits (and
health),despite the intense harassment the security services
have subjected him to over the past few months, including
implicit threats to his daughter. He seemed buoyed by his
election to head the Damascus Declaration Group steering
commission and the recent issuance of the group's statement
critical of the SARG for its handling of Lebanon. Despite
Seif's claims of relative freedom to organize, we have
received the impression from other contacts recently that the
intense SARG surveillance and harassment were severely
limiting Seif's movements and ability to organize and engage
in political activities. Seif remains the most charismatic,
pragmatic and least parochial of all the internal opposition
figures we have met. He is at present walking a fine line,
striving mentally to stay active and keep the internal
opposition at least on life support, but avoiding
provocations that would result in his re-arrest or bring harm
to his family.
CORBIN