Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06DAMASCUS5368
2006-12-06 13:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:
Damascus Media Reaction: Golan Prisoners, Palestinian
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UNCLAS DAMASCUS 005368
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: Golan Prisoners, Palestinian
Factions, Syria/Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Rumsfeld (12/6)
UNCLAS DAMASCUS 005368
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: Golan Prisoners, Palestinian
Factions, Syria/Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Rumsfeld (12/6)
1. Summary: Syrian papers on Dec. 6 reported that on Dec. 5 the
Syrian Foreign Ministry addressed formal messages to UN SecGen Kofi
Annan, the Chairman of the Security Council, the High Commission for
Human Rights, and the Human Rights Council, informing them about the
poor health of Sitan Nmr Alweli, a Syrian captive in the occupied
Syrian Golan. The messages pointed out the humiliating and
difficult health conditions in which he is held, along with his
comrades, in Israeli prisons, which led to the death of the prisoner
Hayel Abu Zeid in June 2005 and are causing the deterioration of the
health of Alweli. The messages call on UN commissions to intervene
promptly to secure the release and save the lives of Alweli and his
comrades, and stress that the UN must oblige Israel to implement
UNSC resolution No. 497 and all resolutions of the General Assembly
and the Human Rights Council.
Papers also reported a meeting of Palestinian PM Ismael Haneih in
Damascus on Dec. 5 with Palestinian factions in Damascus, during
which Haneih underlined his government's commitment to protect
national rights and principles, especially the right of return, and
its support of resistance to liberate occupied lands. In a press
conference with the Chairman of the Politburo of HAMAS, Khaled
Meshal, and the Assistant Secretary General of the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Naji, Haneih renewed respect for
the democratic option and the Palestinian national project, and
rejected foreign intervention.
On Syria/Turkish relations, papers reported that Turkish PM Recep
Tayyip Erdogan will pay a state visit to Syria on Dec. 6 for talks
on the latest regional developments.
Papers also featured the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
confirmation hearing of Defense Secretary-designate Robert Gates on
Dec. 5, in which he said that a U.S. attack on Syria would unleash a
wave of anti-Americanism in the Middle East and would have "dramatic
consequences for the US in the Middle East."
End of summary.
2. Selected Headlines:
"Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to visit Syria today"
(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/6)
"The Foreign Ministry addresses two memos to UN SecGen Kofi Annan
and to the Human Rights Council to mediate for the release the
Syrian prisoner Sitan Nmr Alweli and his comrades from Israeli jails
in occupied Golan" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/6)
"Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Faisal Miqdad: We support options of
the Lebanese people" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/6)
"Palestinian PM Hanieh, Chairman of the Politburo of HAMAS Khaled
Meshal and Assistant Secretary General of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine Talal Naji reiterate the importance of
dialogue and commitment to Palestinian options" (Government-owned
Al-Thawra, 12/6)
"Gates calls for direct dialogue with Syria and Iran. Any military
assault against Syria will be costly" (Government-owned Tishreen,
12/6)
"Baker notifies Bush of his Committee's recommendations. Gates, US
Defense Secretary designate: Dialogue with Syria and Iran will be
useful" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/6)
"The open sit-in enters its fifth day with strong momentum and
remarkable popular participation. Beirut buries the slain
protestor. The army warns the government that the Lebanese unrest
could get out of control" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/6)
"The Arab Ministerial Committee on Iraq calls for immediate
dismantling of militias and establishing armed forces on national
basis" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 1/26)
3. Editorial Block Quotes:
-------------- -
"Palestine and the Priority of National Unity"
-------------- -
Umar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote
(12/6): "National unity is the first priority for Palestinians....
Palestinian divisions would be a gratuitous award for the enemy of
the Palestinians and the Arab nation....
"There is an American-Israeli game to incite Palestinians against
one and other and ignite domestic strife and infighting after the
Zionist war machine failed to subjugate the Palestinians.... All
this under the claim that the Palestinian government is responsible
for the suffering of Palestinians....
"It is a dirty game, the price of which the Palestinian people are
paying, in the form of a human disaster that worsens day after day.
The question is: Why didn't the Palestinian question see any
American step showing good American intentions before the HAMAS
government was established...?
"The problem is not the government, but the colonialist mentality
and the Zionist ambitions that deny the rights of others, contrary
to international law and UN resolutions...."
--------------
"The US Domino Game"
--------------
Isam Dari, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (12/6):
"How does the Lebanese government explain Israel's concern about
the protests that the Lebanese opposition is staging...? Do the
Lebanese ministers really think they represent the Lebanese people,
or most of them, while huge anti-government demonstrations are
continuing for the fifth day running...?
"What is happening in Lebanon is a peaceful popular revolution for a
simple national objective, namely, a national unity government....
"But those who are monopolizing power see this popular demand as a
coup against them. They are not ashamed to hurt this popular
Lebanese majority as they portray it as a crowd moving aimlessly to
implement Syrian-Iranian orders!
"This is not surprising, for those who take instructions from
ambassadors, consuls, and high commissioners are trying to shake off
this shame by accusing others of it....
"The Lebanese government is sticking to its position upon foreign
instructions, so that the dominoes that the Bush administration and
the neoconservatives have arranged in this region will not fall, as
they fell in Iraq. But we believe that the American domino game has
reached its final stages. The people ultimately prevail, no matter
what price they pay and sacrifices they make."
--------------
"Lebanon Says its Word"
--------------
Adnan Mahmud, a columnist in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(12/6): "The Lebanese people have gone to the streets to defend
Lebanon's freedom, sovereignty, independence, Arabism, and national
unity against the Zionist and American invaders and their local
agents....
"The people of Lebanon have gone out to chant in the squares of
Beirut and frustrate the sick dreams of the 'creative instability'
and the new or greater Middle East, just as the valiant resistance
did in the south through its historic confrontation of the brutal
Zionist attack on the Lebanese people, land, and establishments.
The people of Lebanon have gone out to shout in their faces, without
fear or appeasement, 'we will not sell Lebanon to the
American-Zionist project no matter what the price,' advising some
politicians in the region to stop adding their suspicious fuel to
the Zionist-American fire in Lebanon and the region as part of their
compliance with the will of the White House, which was miserably
defeated in the election, and which failed to the bone in its
invasion of Iraq and its war on Afghanistan...."
--------------
"Rumsfeld Admits"
--------------
Ali Qasim, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(12/6): "US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's admission that US
strategy in Iraq was a failure appeared as an attempt to justify
what cannot be justified, or an effort to tone down the impact of
the current US crisis....
"The admission brings to mind what many people have said, namely,
that Americans are sinking in the Iraqi quagmire.... This dictates
key changes not only in form but also in content....
"Syria warned Americans of this end before the invasion and drew
attention to it after the war, but the drums of war and the joy of
swift victory did not allow anyone to hear or see the facts at that
time....
"Rumsfeld's admission clearly reflects the permanent condition that
affects American officials when they get ready to leave their posts.
They return to their senses when it is too late...."
Corbin
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: Golan Prisoners, Palestinian
Factions, Syria/Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Rumsfeld (12/6)
1. Summary: Syrian papers on Dec. 6 reported that on Dec. 5 the
Syrian Foreign Ministry addressed formal messages to UN SecGen Kofi
Annan, the Chairman of the Security Council, the High Commission for
Human Rights, and the Human Rights Council, informing them about the
poor health of Sitan Nmr Alweli, a Syrian captive in the occupied
Syrian Golan. The messages pointed out the humiliating and
difficult health conditions in which he is held, along with his
comrades, in Israeli prisons, which led to the death of the prisoner
Hayel Abu Zeid in June 2005 and are causing the deterioration of the
health of Alweli. The messages call on UN commissions to intervene
promptly to secure the release and save the lives of Alweli and his
comrades, and stress that the UN must oblige Israel to implement
UNSC resolution No. 497 and all resolutions of the General Assembly
and the Human Rights Council.
Papers also reported a meeting of Palestinian PM Ismael Haneih in
Damascus on Dec. 5 with Palestinian factions in Damascus, during
which Haneih underlined his government's commitment to protect
national rights and principles, especially the right of return, and
its support of resistance to liberate occupied lands. In a press
conference with the Chairman of the Politburo of HAMAS, Khaled
Meshal, and the Assistant Secretary General of the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Naji, Haneih renewed respect for
the democratic option and the Palestinian national project, and
rejected foreign intervention.
On Syria/Turkish relations, papers reported that Turkish PM Recep
Tayyip Erdogan will pay a state visit to Syria on Dec. 6 for talks
on the latest regional developments.
Papers also featured the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
confirmation hearing of Defense Secretary-designate Robert Gates on
Dec. 5, in which he said that a U.S. attack on Syria would unleash a
wave of anti-Americanism in the Middle East and would have "dramatic
consequences for the US in the Middle East."
End of summary.
2. Selected Headlines:
"Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to visit Syria today"
(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/6)
"The Foreign Ministry addresses two memos to UN SecGen Kofi Annan
and to the Human Rights Council to mediate for the release the
Syrian prisoner Sitan Nmr Alweli and his comrades from Israeli jails
in occupied Golan" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/6)
"Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Faisal Miqdad: We support options of
the Lebanese people" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/6)
"Palestinian PM Hanieh, Chairman of the Politburo of HAMAS Khaled
Meshal and Assistant Secretary General of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine Talal Naji reiterate the importance of
dialogue and commitment to Palestinian options" (Government-owned
Al-Thawra, 12/6)
"Gates calls for direct dialogue with Syria and Iran. Any military
assault against Syria will be costly" (Government-owned Tishreen,
12/6)
"Baker notifies Bush of his Committee's recommendations. Gates, US
Defense Secretary designate: Dialogue with Syria and Iran will be
useful" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/6)
"The open sit-in enters its fifth day with strong momentum and
remarkable popular participation. Beirut buries the slain
protestor. The army warns the government that the Lebanese unrest
could get out of control" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/6)
"The Arab Ministerial Committee on Iraq calls for immediate
dismantling of militias and establishing armed forces on national
basis" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 1/26)
3. Editorial Block Quotes:
-------------- -
"Palestine and the Priority of National Unity"
-------------- -
Umar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote
(12/6): "National unity is the first priority for Palestinians....
Palestinian divisions would be a gratuitous award for the enemy of
the Palestinians and the Arab nation....
"There is an American-Israeli game to incite Palestinians against
one and other and ignite domestic strife and infighting after the
Zionist war machine failed to subjugate the Palestinians.... All
this under the claim that the Palestinian government is responsible
for the suffering of Palestinians....
"It is a dirty game, the price of which the Palestinian people are
paying, in the form of a human disaster that worsens day after day.
The question is: Why didn't the Palestinian question see any
American step showing good American intentions before the HAMAS
government was established...?
"The problem is not the government, but the colonialist mentality
and the Zionist ambitions that deny the rights of others, contrary
to international law and UN resolutions...."
--------------
"The US Domino Game"
--------------
Isam Dari, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (12/6):
"How does the Lebanese government explain Israel's concern about
the protests that the Lebanese opposition is staging...? Do the
Lebanese ministers really think they represent the Lebanese people,
or most of them, while huge anti-government demonstrations are
continuing for the fifth day running...?
"What is happening in Lebanon is a peaceful popular revolution for a
simple national objective, namely, a national unity government....
"But those who are monopolizing power see this popular demand as a
coup against them. They are not ashamed to hurt this popular
Lebanese majority as they portray it as a crowd moving aimlessly to
implement Syrian-Iranian orders!
"This is not surprising, for those who take instructions from
ambassadors, consuls, and high commissioners are trying to shake off
this shame by accusing others of it....
"The Lebanese government is sticking to its position upon foreign
instructions, so that the dominoes that the Bush administration and
the neoconservatives have arranged in this region will not fall, as
they fell in Iraq. But we believe that the American domino game has
reached its final stages. The people ultimately prevail, no matter
what price they pay and sacrifices they make."
--------------
"Lebanon Says its Word"
--------------
Adnan Mahmud, a columnist in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(12/6): "The Lebanese people have gone to the streets to defend
Lebanon's freedom, sovereignty, independence, Arabism, and national
unity against the Zionist and American invaders and their local
agents....
"The people of Lebanon have gone out to chant in the squares of
Beirut and frustrate the sick dreams of the 'creative instability'
and the new or greater Middle East, just as the valiant resistance
did in the south through its historic confrontation of the brutal
Zionist attack on the Lebanese people, land, and establishments.
The people of Lebanon have gone out to shout in their faces, without
fear or appeasement, 'we will not sell Lebanon to the
American-Zionist project no matter what the price,' advising some
politicians in the region to stop adding their suspicious fuel to
the Zionist-American fire in Lebanon and the region as part of their
compliance with the will of the White House, which was miserably
defeated in the election, and which failed to the bone in its
invasion of Iraq and its war on Afghanistan...."
--------------
"Rumsfeld Admits"
--------------
Ali Qasim, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(12/6): "US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's admission that US
strategy in Iraq was a failure appeared as an attempt to justify
what cannot be justified, or an effort to tone down the impact of
the current US crisis....
"The admission brings to mind what many people have said, namely,
that Americans are sinking in the Iraqi quagmire.... This dictates
key changes not only in form but also in content....
"Syria warned Americans of this end before the invasion and drew
attention to it after the war, but the drums of war and the joy of
swift victory did not allow anyone to hear or see the facts at that
time....
"Rumsfeld's admission clearly reflects the permanent condition that
affects American officials when they get ready to leave their posts.
They return to their senses when it is too late...."
Corbin