Damascus Media Reaction: Lebanon, Peace Process, Iraq,

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 005160 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: Lebanon, Peace Process, Iraq, Palestinian Territories (11/01) ¶1. Summary: The main focus in Syrian papers today was Lebanon. Papers featured reports on the confiscation of a 'suspicious' parcel by customs at Beirut International Airport containing silencers for military pistols. The parcel, dispatched from the UK through "Liban Post" Lebanon's postal service, was reportedly addressed to a diplomat at the US Embassy in Beirut identified as Mark Savageau. Papers also cited reports about the arrest of a new Mossad agent by the name of Faisal Mkalled. News reports said that he was recruited by Israel to spy on Hizbollah and smuggle arms to Lebanon. Papers also reported the Al-Manar TV interview on Tuesday, October 31,of the leader of Hizbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, in which he accused the Lebanese Parliament's majority of having planned for a larger UN peacekeeping force in the South for a long time, adding that Israel's summer offensive helped achieve that goal. Nasrallah said a Lebanese government official called him in the first days of the war and told him that it was going to be a long one if the resistance did not abide by three conditions: Hizbollah's approval of the deployment of multinational forces under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, the group's disarmament, and the unconditional release of the two Israeli soldiers captured on July 12. "We were threatened; he told us that the government would hold us responsible for the continuation of the war," said Nasrallah, refusing to identify the government official. He added, however, that Israel and its allies could not defeat the resistance, "nor will it ever be able to." Nasrallah said the majority was seeking to transform the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) into one that would deploy across the country rather than in the South only, with jurisdiction under Chapter 7, which authorizes the use of force to halt any threatened breaches of the peace. He argued that before the July-August war, US policy was failing to gain control of Lebanon. He added that the US launched the war to save Israel and disarm the resistance. He also accused the "ruling majority" of instigating domestic tension to meet US agendas. End of Summary. ¶2. Selected Headlines: "Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos calls for an international conference on peace in Middle East as the only way out of the current impasse" (Government-owned Tishreen, 11/01) "Nasrallah confirms to A-Manar TV: The national resistance is in good condition: The project of the February 14 Group is an American-Israeli one.... We have rejected its defeatist conditions" (Government-owned Tishreen, 11/01) "Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace continue. Lebanese calls to form new national unity government. Lahoud responds to Al-Saniora harshly: You are violating the constitution; your media is insolent; we seek a real, non-politicized international tribunal; why are you manipulating facts?" (Government-owned Tishreen, 11/01) "Security sources unveil Mossad agent Faisal Mkalled, who was recruited by Israel to spy on Hizbollah and smuggle arms to Lebanon" (Government-owned Tishreen, 11/01) "More than three Palestinians martyred in Israeli invasion of Gaza. US Secretary of State considers the imminent Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip to be self-defense" (Government-owned Tishreen, 11/01) "An American expert advises the Bush administration to withdraw from Iraq within 18 months" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 11/01) "Iraqi President Talabani calls for maintaining foreign forces in Iraq until Iraqi forces are ready to assure security" (Government-owned Tishreen, 11/01) ¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: -------------- "An Absent Role" -------------- Umar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, commented (11/01): "Why isn't Europe, despite its political and economic weight and its traditional relations with the countries of the Middle East, playing a role in resolving the region's issues? "Europe is supposed to know where its real interests lie and to play a role different from the non-objective American role toward issues of the region, primarily the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israeli's occupation of Arab lands and refusal to comply with UN resolutions.... "Stability in the region is important for Europe and its partnership with the countries of the region.... Europe is closer to the issues and aspirations of the region. The weak European role appears incomprehensible to the peoples and countries of the region, particularly Syria, which has always called for an effective European role, not only in the peace process, but also in all aspects of cooperation that might develop into a genuine partnership...." -------------- "Season of Defeats" -------------- Ali Qasim, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote (11/01): "It is the season of defeats for US plans and ambitions, from the failure of the war on Iraq, to the disappointment at home, to the new situation in Afghanistan, and to developments in the Korean and Iranian nuclear files, without forgetting the resounding military failure in Lebanon, a failure that Lebanon is getting ready to turn also into a political failure.... "US opinion polls, which show the Democrats in the lead by 10 points, confirm the US Administration's defeat.... US officials have stopped talking about the promised New Middle East and the Iraqi model of democracy.... While Americans might punish the administration by voting for the rival Democratic Party, other peoples of the world have a different accountability process...." -------------- "An Inventory" -------------- Isam Dari, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (11/01): "What has the US Administration achieved for Americans and the rest of the world? "The US Administration admits that terrorism inside the United States has increased rather than decreased in the past six years. Moreover, US policies, which are built on racist, sectarian, ethnic, and mythical bases, have raised fears and chauvinism at home. "The racist practices against Americans of Arab and Islamic origin have become one of the characteristics of American society today. The terrorist and provocative practices against these Arab and Muslim Americans have increased. They have been subjected to blackmail, pursuit, arrest, and surveillance by American security agencies.... "On the international level, we see the destruction of Afghanistan and Iraq, and American human right violations against the Iraqi and Afghan people.... "The Bush administration blessed Israel's terrorism against the Palestinians and played a dirty and criminal role during the Israeli aggression against Lebanon.... "The Bush administration is a strong candidate for first place in crime and terrorism. This makes it an enemy of nations, and it therefore deserves to appear in war crimes courts." -------------- "Bush and the Iraqi Test" -------------- Ghazi al-Dada, an op-ed writer in government-owned Tishreen, commented (11/01): "The sin of the war on Iraq, and its repercussions, have been disastrous for President Bush, his administration, and his Republican Party. All of them are now searching for ways to extricate themselves from the Iraqi swamp at the lowest possible cost.... "Aside from the repercussions in the American arena of the occupation of Iraq, Iraq remains much more than a bargaining chip in the American political bourse. Iraqis need to make big, sincere efforts to overcome the aftermath of the occupation of their country. They must stick resolutely to their unity and territorial integrity, especially since Iraq is seriously threatened with partition into mini-states governed more by differences and disputes than by unity and cordiality. Will Iraqis be able to foil these malicious plans that lie in wait for them?" Corbin