Damascus Media Reaction: Post-war Maneuvering, MEPP,

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 004974 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/S:STHIBEAULT AND JMCCARTER, VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, DBENZE AND AFERNANDEZ, IIP/G/NEA-SA RWINCHESTER WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC CENTCOM FOR CCPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY SUBJECT: Damascus Media Reaction: Post-war Maneuvering, MEPP, Palestinian developments, (10/13 -10/16) ¶1. Summary: The Syrian press covered (October 13 - 16) the following topics: President Assad met with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos on Sunday. Papers quoted Moratinos as saying that "Syria is part of the solution rather than the problem." President Assad held an Iftar on Sunday at which he gave a speech to Syrian clerics, calling on them to confront the distortion which Islam is encountering, through dialogue and wisdom. In a meeting with the head of the Political Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Farouq Qadoumi, President Assad stressed the importance of Palestinian national unity and the continuation of inter-Palestinian dialogue to achieve the ultimate goals of the Palestinian people, mainly ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. President Assad also met with Egypt's Intelligence Chief, Omar Suleiman, who delivered a letter from Mubarak dealing with "bilateral relations and developments in the region." Papers also covered a meeting between the Palestinian Minister of Interior and his Syrian counterpart, who renewed Syria's support for Palestinian national unity. End of summary. ¶2. Selected Headlines: President Assad to clerics: The responsibilities which Syria holds is an honor for her (government-owned Tishreen, October 16, 2006) President Assad reviews with Moratinos the situation in the region, Syrian-Spanish relations and the European vision regarding launching the peace process (government-owned Tishreen, October 15, 2006) President Assad receives a letter from President Mubarak about bilateral relations (government-owned Tishreen, October 16, 2006) Moratinos: Syria is part of the solution; no peace without her (government-owned al-Baath, October 16, 2006) President Assad reiterates to Qadoumi the importance of resuming dialogue and enhancing Palestinian national unity (government-owned Tishreen, October 16, 2006) ¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: -------------- --- "Bush's Comma" -------------- --- "So long as the US Administration uses this discourse, and so long as President Bush considers what is going on now in Iraq as a mere comma in Iraqi history, the series of setbacks and curses shall haunt the current US Administration until its last day in office, and shall hit its members with something worse than Gulf War Disease after they leave office. "How can a human being believe...that the lives of 650,000 Iraqis are a mere comma, when Iraqi history is written. Mr. President, when, then, is life valuable? "The problem of President Bush's Administration, with itself and its people, is that it does not want to admit the faults that it has committed and is planning to commit in the Arab region, especially regarding Iraqis and Palestinians.... Blair's Government, a US ally, has started to learn from what has happened and is preparing itself to correct its mistakes, as its Military Chief said a couple of days ago. Still, this change will not save Blair's government from setbacks and curses, which will continue to follow it until its last minute." Corbin