IRAQI CLERIC MOQTADA SADR VISITS SYRIA, MEETS ASAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000594 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV SY IZ SUBJECT: IRAQI CLERIC MOQTADA SADR VISITS SYRIA, MEETS ASAD Classified By: Charge Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d ¶1. (C) Summary: Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr arrived February 5 in Damascus for an extended visit that included two meetings with the Syrian President on developments in Iraq and elsewhere regionally. Sadr also visited the city of Raqqa, located between the Syrian capital and the Iraqi border, and met late last week with Syrian religious figures and Palestinian rejectionist group members. An official in Sadr's Damascus office said Sadr would place his militia at Syria's disposal if Damascus was attacked by the West, according to a UPI report. The SARG appears to be using Sadr's visit, like the recent meeting between Asad and Hamas leader Khalid Mish'al, to show the U.S. that it is a key player in the region, and to demonstrate its good relations with all key Iraqi parties, not just the Sunnis. The highly publicized Sadr visit and recent renewed press reports about the SARG's intention to upgrade diplomatic relations with Baghdad indicate that the regime may now be seeking to strengthen its ties to Iraq in a more overt manner. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr arrived February 5 in Damascus for an extended visit, according to local and regional media reports. On February 6, Sadr held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad and FM Farouk Al-Shar'a on developments in Iraq and consultations for forming the next Iraqi government; he apparently met a second time with Asad over lunch on February 12. Sadr was quoted as describing Iraq-Syria relations as good but saying that the U.S., Israel and Britain were trying to create a rift between the two countries, according to the Associated Press. Sadr proclaimed support for Middle Eastern countries under U.S. pressure, the AP reported. Asad called for unifying national ranks in aid of Iraq and to liberate the country from "the occupation," according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). On February 11, an official in Sadr's Damascus office said that Sadr would place his militia at Syria's disposal if Damascus was attacked by the West, according to a UPI report. Sadr also announced his intention to launch an initiative to repair Syria-Lebanon relations, the AP reported. His long stay, in tandem with his visits to Iran and Saudi Arabia, has allowed him to burnish his credentials as an influential regional leader, reported Reuters Damascus-based correspondent, Khaled Oweis. ¶3. (U) On February 7, Sadr visited the city of Raqqa, located on the Euphrates River 330 miles northeast of Damascus, where he said there was no evidence that Syria allows militants to cross its territory and infiltrate into Iraq, the AP reported. In Raqqa, Sadr visited the grave of a companion of the Prophet Mohammed and two followers of companions of the Prophet, SANA reported. Sadr also likely met with Shiite tribal members from the area, according to Embassy contact Ghimar Deeb. ¶4. (U) Sadr met February 8 with Syria's Minister of Awqaaf (Islamic Trusts),and the Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun, who told SANA, "Iraq constitutes a trust for our nation and we must work to foil any aggressive scheme aimed at dividing Iraq into small states and sects." The Iraqi cleric met February 9 with members of Palestinian rejectionist groups in Damascus, according to local journalists. Sadr's trip to Syria followed visits to Saudi Arabia and Iran. He is also expected to travel soon to Lebanon, according to press reports. As of February 13 he remains in Damascus, using his extended stay, which coincides with the Shiite celebration of Ashura, to strengthen his ties with the large Shiite population (Iraqi and Syrian) in the Seit Zeinab area of Damascus, according to contacts. ¶5. (C) The SARG is using Sadr's visit, like the recent meeting between Asad and Hamas leader Khalid Mish'al, to show the U.S. that it is a key player in the region, according to Syrian foreign policy analyst Imad Shuebi, who has close ties to the regime. (Comment: Shuebi did not explicitly mention the recent visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but it was clearly implicit in his remarks.) When Sadr arrived at Rawda Palace, Asad met the Iraqi cleric at the door, an unprecedented, effusive greeting that was understood by Syrians who watched the event on official Syrian television, Shuebi said. Sadr has two million men under his control in Iraq and could pose a huge problem for the U.S., Deeb asserted. ¶6. (C) On a different level, the SARG is also trying to demonstrate its good relations with all the key parties in Iraq, Shuebi claimed. The SARG has shown that it has clout with the Sunnis, as demonstrated by its push for Sunni participation in Iraqi elections, said Shuebi, adding without elaboration that Syria also has influence with Iraqi Kurds. (Comment: Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani, for example, lived in exile for years in Syria and is known to a range of Syrian political players.) Shuebi indicated that Syria has an indispensable role to play and could help the U.S. develop a positive exit strategy from Iraq. He did not say, but left hanging the opposite implication: If ignored, Syria could play a negative role. ¶7. (C) Comment: Even as the SARG has continued to make overtures for engagement with the U.S., especially on Iraq, it has sought to strengthen alliances with those operating against USG interests. For more than six months, our contacts with ties to the regime (like Shuebi) have repeatedly asserted that the SARG has taken steps to comply with USG demands in areas where it is able to do so and that the SARG could do more with public U.S. recognition. At the same time, the SARG has moved aggressively in recent months to strengthen its ties to powerful regional players such as Iran's leader, Palestinian rejectionists and Hassan Nasrallah's Hizballah movement. The highly publicized Sadr visit and recent renewed press reports about the SARG's intention to upgrade diplomatic relations with Baghdad as soon as a new government is formed indicate the regime may now be seeking to strengthen its ties to Iraq in a more overt manner. SECHE