Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07DAMASCUS122
2007-02-07 13:44:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:
Palestinian Territories, Syria/Netherlands, Lavrov/Mousa,
how-toVZCZCXYZ0024 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHDM #0122/01 0381344 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 071344Z FEB 07 FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2924 RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6559 RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4331 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2944 RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7502 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1558 RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4896 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1110 RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA// INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7234
UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000122
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/R/MR:STHIBEAULT AND
JMCCARTER, VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, AZAIBACK, AND
AFERNANDEZ, IIP/G/NEA-SA MDAVIDSON
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC
CENTCOM FOR CCPA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY
SUBJECT: Palestinian Territories, Syria/Netherlands, Lavrov/Mousa,
Lebanon, Iraq (2/6)
UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000122
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/R/MR:STHIBEAULT AND
JMCCARTER, VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, AZAIBACK, AND
AFERNANDEZ, IIP/G/NEA-SA MDAVIDSON
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC
CENTCOM FOR CCPA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY
SUBJECT: Palestinian Territories, Syria/Netherlands, Lavrov/Mousa,
Lebanon, Iraq (2/6)
1. Summary: Syrian papers on Feb. 7 quoted an official source at
the Syrian Foreign Ministry expressing, on Feb. 6, deep concern over
Israeli excavations in the area of the al-Aqsa Mosque that threaten
the safety and sanctity of the mosque. "Syria, which strongly
condemns this aggression, sees those acts as a flagrant violation of
the Islamic sanctities and Muslims' feelings all over the Islamic
world," the source said. "Syria stresses that respecting others'
sanctities is the most prominent feature of civilized societies, or
those who claim to be civilized, and this is what Israeli
authorities, that are doing the condemned digging, lack," it noted.
The source said that Israel, as an occupying authority, must protect
the holy places according to international law and the Geneva
Convention. "Syria calls on the Organization of Islamic Conference
to move, on behalf of the Islamic world, to stop any act that
threatens the safety and sanctity of the holy mosque of Aqsa," it
added.
Papers also reported that Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem
received a telephone call on Feb 6 from his Dutch counterpart
Bernard Bot on developments in the region.
On the Middle East peace process, papers reported that Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Feb. 6 reiterated Russia's call to
solve the issues of the Middle East by including all basic regional
sides in meetings with the International Quartet. In a press
conference with Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa following
talks in Moscow, Lavrov said: "Russia emphasized its call for the
participation of the main regional countries." The Russian FM
reiterated his country's rejection of any provocative attempts to
damage the religious sanctities in Jerusalem, expressing Russian
support for a Palestinian national unity government. He welcomed
Mousa's efforts to find a solution to the crisis in Lebanon,
underlining the necessity of intensifying efforts to reach national
reconciliation with the participation of all Lebanese forces.
End of summary.
2. Selected Headlines:
"Syria expresses deep concern over Israeli excavations in the area
of the al-Aqsa mosque. These acts are flagrant violations of the
Islamic holy places and Muslims' feelings all over the Islamic
world" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/7)
"Commencement of the Palestinian dialogue in Mecca. Israel
demolishes al-Maghareba road leading to the al-Aqsa Mosque"
(Government-owned Tishreen, 2/7)
"Foreign Minister al-Mouallem reviews in a telephone call latest
regional developments with Bernard Bot, Foreign Minister of the
Netherlands" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 2/7)
"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov renews his country's
position which calls for solving Middle East issues through the
participation of all main regional sides and the International
Quartet Committee"
"President Lahoud asks UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to ignore
the two messages sent by the current illegal government"
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/7)
"An Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Baghdad. Tehran: New terrorism by
occupation forces" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/7)
3. Editorial Block Quotes:
--------------
"Lies and Fabrications"
--------------
Elias Khuri, a commentator in government-owned Al-Ba'th, said (2/7):
"Some politicians are skilled at fabricating falsehoods against
Syria. They turn white into black and black into white, forcing you
-- though you hate it -- to speak up!
"These politicians, who have become nothing but willing trumpets,
are not satisfied with anything. No matter what Syria does for
Iraq, and no matter what it offers for the sake of Iraq's fraternal
people and their unity and freedom, these politicians are ungrateful
and unfair to it, persistently leveling false accusations against it
and working for estrangement from it.
"Some of them, for example, have volunteered this piece of
information: Half of those who carry out terrorist operations
infiltrated from Syria. My God! It is as if these brilliant
politicians were standing at the border carrying meters to count
infiltrators and non-infiltrators and determine who is a terrorist
and who is not. They ignore the fact that Syria has made and is
still making tremendous efforts to control the border....
"Another allegation is that Iraqi citizens are not 'sufficiently
welcomed' in Syria. This is a despicable fabrication because Syria
is the only country in the whole world that opened its doors to the
Iraqi brothers unconditionally. It received hundreds of thousands
of Iraqis and offered them everything it could offer, so much so
that the Iraqi dialect is the dominant dialect in some regions. Yet
we still hear lies, fabrications, and hypocrisy!
--------------
"Jerusalem Anew"
--------------
Ali Qasim, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote (2/7):
"Israel finds in intra-Palestinian clashes and the international
situation an opportunity to Judaize Jerusalem.... Israel persists in
excavations and demolitions around Al-Aqsa Mosque....
"Tel Aviv seeks to change totally the demographic situation of the
holy city and its spiritual and religious stature for more than one
billion Muslims. Palestinians must unify their ranks to confront
the Israeli scheme....
"Israeli activities in Jerusalem provide Palestinians with a real
opportunity to overcome their differences and foil the attempts that
seek to sow domestic strife...."
--------------
"Where Are Arabs?"
--------------
Umar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote
(2/7): "The US Administration's hellish plan in the region aims at
protecting Israel and controlling the oil resources. As part of
this plan, Palestinians have been besieged and pushed toward
domestic strife to allow Israel to implement its plans and Judaize
Jerusalem....
"In Lebanon, the US Administration prevents accord among the
Lebanese, and its Ambassador, Feltman, tells the February 14 forces
what they should do or not do.... The aim is to prolong the
political crisis, obstruct Arab mediation, and push everyone toward
absurd labyrinths and sectarian strife to keep this country
completely away from the Arab-Zionist conflict....
"Iraq is witnessing civil war while American and Israeli companies
are looting Iraq's oil....
"Arabs must realize these dangers, which target them all...."
Corbin
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/R/MR:STHIBEAULT AND
JMCCARTER, VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, AZAIBACK, AND
AFERNANDEZ, IIP/G/NEA-SA MDAVIDSON
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC
CENTCOM FOR CCPA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY
SUBJECT: Palestinian Territories, Syria/Netherlands, Lavrov/Mousa,
Lebanon, Iraq (2/6)
1. Summary: Syrian papers on Feb. 7 quoted an official source at
the Syrian Foreign Ministry expressing, on Feb. 6, deep concern over
Israeli excavations in the area of the al-Aqsa Mosque that threaten
the safety and sanctity of the mosque. "Syria, which strongly
condemns this aggression, sees those acts as a flagrant violation of
the Islamic sanctities and Muslims' feelings all over the Islamic
world," the source said. "Syria stresses that respecting others'
sanctities is the most prominent feature of civilized societies, or
those who claim to be civilized, and this is what Israeli
authorities, that are doing the condemned digging, lack," it noted.
The source said that Israel, as an occupying authority, must protect
the holy places according to international law and the Geneva
Convention. "Syria calls on the Organization of Islamic Conference
to move, on behalf of the Islamic world, to stop any act that
threatens the safety and sanctity of the holy mosque of Aqsa," it
added.
Papers also reported that Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem
received a telephone call on Feb 6 from his Dutch counterpart
Bernard Bot on developments in the region.
On the Middle East peace process, papers reported that Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Feb. 6 reiterated Russia's call to
solve the issues of the Middle East by including all basic regional
sides in meetings with the International Quartet. In a press
conference with Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa following
talks in Moscow, Lavrov said: "Russia emphasized its call for the
participation of the main regional countries." The Russian FM
reiterated his country's rejection of any provocative attempts to
damage the religious sanctities in Jerusalem, expressing Russian
support for a Palestinian national unity government. He welcomed
Mousa's efforts to find a solution to the crisis in Lebanon,
underlining the necessity of intensifying efforts to reach national
reconciliation with the participation of all Lebanese forces.
End of summary.
2. Selected Headlines:
"Syria expresses deep concern over Israeli excavations in the area
of the al-Aqsa mosque. These acts are flagrant violations of the
Islamic holy places and Muslims' feelings all over the Islamic
world" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/7)
"Commencement of the Palestinian dialogue in Mecca. Israel
demolishes al-Maghareba road leading to the al-Aqsa Mosque"
(Government-owned Tishreen, 2/7)
"Foreign Minister al-Mouallem reviews in a telephone call latest
regional developments with Bernard Bot, Foreign Minister of the
Netherlands" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 2/7)
"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov renews his country's
position which calls for solving Middle East issues through the
participation of all main regional sides and the International
Quartet Committee"
"President Lahoud asks UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to ignore
the two messages sent by the current illegal government"
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/7)
"An Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Baghdad. Tehran: New terrorism by
occupation forces" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/7)
3. Editorial Block Quotes:
--------------
"Lies and Fabrications"
--------------
Elias Khuri, a commentator in government-owned Al-Ba'th, said (2/7):
"Some politicians are skilled at fabricating falsehoods against
Syria. They turn white into black and black into white, forcing you
-- though you hate it -- to speak up!
"These politicians, who have become nothing but willing trumpets,
are not satisfied with anything. No matter what Syria does for
Iraq, and no matter what it offers for the sake of Iraq's fraternal
people and their unity and freedom, these politicians are ungrateful
and unfair to it, persistently leveling false accusations against it
and working for estrangement from it.
"Some of them, for example, have volunteered this piece of
information: Half of those who carry out terrorist operations
infiltrated from Syria. My God! It is as if these brilliant
politicians were standing at the border carrying meters to count
infiltrators and non-infiltrators and determine who is a terrorist
and who is not. They ignore the fact that Syria has made and is
still making tremendous efforts to control the border....
"Another allegation is that Iraqi citizens are not 'sufficiently
welcomed' in Syria. This is a despicable fabrication because Syria
is the only country in the whole world that opened its doors to the
Iraqi brothers unconditionally. It received hundreds of thousands
of Iraqis and offered them everything it could offer, so much so
that the Iraqi dialect is the dominant dialect in some regions. Yet
we still hear lies, fabrications, and hypocrisy!
--------------
"Jerusalem Anew"
--------------
Ali Qasim, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote (2/7):
"Israel finds in intra-Palestinian clashes and the international
situation an opportunity to Judaize Jerusalem.... Israel persists in
excavations and demolitions around Al-Aqsa Mosque....
"Tel Aviv seeks to change totally the demographic situation of the
holy city and its spiritual and religious stature for more than one
billion Muslims. Palestinians must unify their ranks to confront
the Israeli scheme....
"Israeli activities in Jerusalem provide Palestinians with a real
opportunity to overcome their differences and foil the attempts that
seek to sow domestic strife...."
--------------
"Where Are Arabs?"
--------------
Umar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote
(2/7): "The US Administration's hellish plan in the region aims at
protecting Israel and controlling the oil resources. As part of
this plan, Palestinians have been besieged and pushed toward
domestic strife to allow Israel to implement its plans and Judaize
Jerusalem....
"In Lebanon, the US Administration prevents accord among the
Lebanese, and its Ambassador, Feltman, tells the February 14 forces
what they should do or not do.... The aim is to prolong the
political crisis, obstruct Arab mediation, and push everyone toward
absurd labyrinths and sectarian strife to keep this country
completely away from the Arab-Zionist conflict....
"Iraq is witnessing civil war while American and Israeli companies
are looting Iraq's oil....
"Arabs must realize these dangers, which target them all...."
Corbin