Damascus Media Reaction: Syria/UAE, Syria/Slovakia,

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 005059 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: Syria/UAE, Syria/Slovakia, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian Territories (10/20-22) ¶1. Summary: Syrian papers reported that President Asad received a phone call from President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in which both leaders talked about the situation in the region and bilateral relations between Syria and the UAE. Papers also reported Dr. Muhsin Bilal's interview with Iranian al-Alam satellite channel on Jerusalem international day, in which Minis ter Bilal confirmed that in the last meeting held in Cairo among the six Gulf countries, Egypt and Jordan in the presence of US Secretary of State Rice underlined refusal to isolate Syria and SIPDIS supported Syria's right to reclaim occupied Golan. The minister confirmed the importance of the Palestinian cause for Arabs and Muslims, considering that the first priority is the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem. Papers also featured a book published in Paris by French Journalist Richard Labeviere entitled "The Grand About-face: Baghdad and Beirut" attributing to him the claim that UN Security Council Resolution No. 1559 was a fruit of a change in US-French relations that had previously experienced extreme strains due to French opposition of the invasion of Iraq. The book claimed that US and French intelligence were behind the planning for Abdul-Halim Khaddam's interview with al-Arabiya, in which he accused Syria of assassinating Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri. According to the papers, Labeviere maintains that this proves that Khaddam is a tool serving the interest of US and French intelligence. End of summary. ¶2. Selected Headlines: "President Asad receives a phone call from President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Both leaders focused on the situation in the region" (Government-owned Tishreen, 10/22) "Syrian Defense Minister Lieutenant General Hassan Turkmani discusses military cooperation between the Syrian and Solovak armies with Slovak Defense Minister Frantisek Kasick?" (Government-owned Tishreen, 10/22) "French journalist reveals hidden secrets of UNSC resolution 1559... The book says that Resolution 1559 was formulated at Al-Hariri's ;residence in Sardinia... Americans were surprised by the French change... Resolution 1559 was the result of a change in French-American relations... The US and French secret services were behind Khaddam's interview with al-Arabiya TV... The Mehlis report was politicized and Larsen is not innocent... Chirac expected Israel to terminate Hizbollah within five days. Putting pressure on Syria was Chirac's bribe to satisfy Bush" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 10/20) "A French book unveils secrets of UNSC Resolution 1559: Chirac has taken Lebanon as a basis for rapprochement with Washington and sacrificed 40 years of French diplomacy for the Hariri family... US and French intelligence arranged for Abdul-Halim Khaddam's interview with al-Arabiya TV" (Government-owned Tishreen, 10/21 "Lahoud reiterates rejection of monitoring Lebanese airspace. Former Lebanese PM Al-Huss: The outcome of the war poses an eloquent victory for the resistance and the Arabs" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 10/20) "Israeli occupation creates a new military post in Sheba Farms" (Government-owned Tishreen, 10/22) "Information minister: The resistance option has achieved a victory in Palestine and Lebanon" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 10/20) "Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero: The US war on Iraq is illegal and immoral" (Government-owned Al-THawra, 10/22) "Three US Marines killed in al-Anbar. US President George Bush discusses US strategy in Iraq with his military commanders" (Government-owned Tishreen, 10/22) "Bush insists on making more mistakes in Iraq and ignores the death of US soldiers and thousands of Iraqi people" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 10/22) "The current impasse in Iraq pursues Bush and Blair. Bush admits reality and insists on doing wrong while Blair fails to convince his parliament to keep forces in Iraq" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 10/20) "A calming agreement between Hamas and Fateh doesn't dismiss disagreements. Israeli occupation wounds seven praying in al-Aqsa Mosque. France supports the separation wall" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 10/21) ¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: -------------- "The Big Change" -------------- Isam Dari, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (10/21): "In his new book 'Le Grand Retournement,' French journalist and writer Richard Labeviere reveals attempts to distort the truth about Syria in its relations with Lebanon and the effort to implicate Syria in crimes that serve neither Syria nor Lebanon nor the Arab nation. The book, which tells the story of Resolution 1559 and explains how French President Jacques Chirac wanted to improve his relations with the United States at the expense of Syria and its influence in Lebanon, is an additional piece of evidence showing Syria's credibility and proving what it has been saying for months.... "The book discloses some aspects of the cheap conspiracy that was prepared in the dark to help Western colonialism return to the region. The book proves that the truth in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri is still the first victim of everything that happened and is still happening, and that the long-term objective was an attempt to subjugate Syria and eliminate the resistance's approach in the region.... "The book unveils that a French-American deal was concluded in which the French government sacrificed and abandoned a 40-year-old De Gaullist policy, just to please Bush, the neoconservatives, and Israel.... "It is natural for the March 14 forces in Lebanon and their media to ignore Labeviere's book, as these forces wagered on implicating Syria in the Al-Hariri assassination and on ending the Lebanese resistance within one week of the Israeli war on Lebanon...." -------------- "Bush between Denial and Confession" -------------- Hanan Hamad, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (10/21): "A tangible change could be felt in President Bush's remark that the Iraq war reminds him of the Vietnam War.... But we must not be overoptimistic about the possibility of a comprehensive revision of the US policy in Iraq.... "President Bush still insists that the American forces will not withdraw from Iraq under any circumstances before the end of his term.... Bush also turns deaf ears to the advice of the James Baker-led Congressional commission, which calls for a totally different course to prevent the tragic situation in Iraq from turning into an all-out civil war, especially since this commission, which enjoys wide powers, is studying Washington's options in Iraq and will come up with a series of recommendations that might constitute a new blow to President Bush's policy in this country. The proposed options include gradual withdrawal from Iraq and the opening of diplomatic channels with Syria and Iran. Each of the two options is a clear retreat from Bush's insistence on keeping the troops and continuing the isolation of Syria and Iran as part of the 'extremists' camp, against which he is trying to form a front grouping those whom he called moderate and constructive." -------------- "Is There a Bigger Crime?" -------------- Muhammad Ali Buzah a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, said (10/20): "The Washington-Tel Aviv alliance, in its effort to implement its New Middle East plan, turned the Iraqi, Palestinian, and Lebanese arenas into experimental fields for its military arsenal and advanced military industry, and into grounds for intimidation, blackmail, and open killing.... "Where is the world that claims to be civilized vis-`-vis what is happening? For how long will it continue to watch the crime of the age silently and indifferently, with the mentality of a witness for hire who has become used and addicted to seeing convoys of death and the scenes of fires and destruction...? "This situation is a major blot of shame on humanity's record.... The world appears to share with the Americans and Israelis their extremism and blind racist hatred toward Arabs." The war criminals must pay the price for their crimes sooner or later, and they must understand that Arab blood and Arab land are not free for anyone to violate." -------------- "After the US Action" -------------- Izz-al-Din al-Darwish, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (10/30): "Certainly the current US Administration brought disastrous results in the region as shown particularly in Iraq and the Palestinian territories.... "The region is boiling with tension... The Arab public, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf, blames the Bush Administration for the existing situation and sees Israel not only as the enemy that occupies the land, but also as the direct reason behind all the tragedies that afflict the Arabs.... "And to complete the cycle of tension in the region, the Bush Administration is said to have pressured the Olmert government into refusing to resume peace negotiations on the Syrian track and continuing the siege on the Palestinians. This is in addition to the game of dividing the Arabs into 'moderates' and 'extremists'.... Where does the Bush administration want to lead the region and its peoples? What new excuses will it offer Americans, who, in turn, abhor this administration, as public opinion polls stress?" Corbin