Arab Summit, Syria/Malaysia, Seymour Hersh's Article on US

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000190 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: Arab Summit, Syria/Malaysia, Seymour Hersh's Article on US Plans against Syria, Iran (2/26-27) ¶1. Summary: Syrian papers on Feb. 26 reported that President Asad received a message from Saudi King Abdallah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz on Feb. 25 inviting him to attend the 19th Arab summit, which will be held in Saudi Arabia next month. The message was delivered to President Asad by Dr. Abdallah al-Zinil, Saudi Minister of State. Papers also reported President Asad's meeting with Malaysian PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, that focused on regional and international developments. The two sides also reiterated the importance of supporting a political solution in Iraq and the Palestinian national unity government. They also stressed the need to remove the siege on the Palestinians and stop the encroachment upon their holy places and the holy places of Arabs and Muslims. They also discussed the need to activate the role of the OIC in light of the new developments that affect all OIC members. On Syrian-Iraqi relations, papers on Feb. 26 reported telephone contacts between Foreign Minister Mouallem, Iranian FM Mottaki and Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari in preparation for a meeting of Iraq's neighboring countries due in Baghdad next month. Papers also reported that Vice President Shara met on Feb. 25 with a delegation representing the tribal chiefs of Al-Anbar and Mosul in Iraq. Talks focused on the difficult situation that Iraqis are experiencing. FM Shara reiterated the importance of ending the occupation and achieving national reconciliation, in order to allow Iraq to overcome the current situation, preserve the unity of its people and territory, and bring security and stability back to the country. Government-owned Al-Thawrah on Feb. 26 cited an article by US journalist Seymour Hersh published in "The New Yorker" saying that the US Administration is "implementing a political and financial program in Lebanon to support some parties against others in an attempt to create sedition in that country." The paper cited Hersh's statement that "many people in Lebanon, acting as representatives of Al-Saniora's government, are offering money and weapons to some groups to confront Hizbollah." The Al-Thawrah report adds: "Hersh, who met with Walid Junblatt, stressed that the latter asked the US Administration to deal with the Muslim Brotherhood group if it wanted to act against Syria. An American intelligence official confirmed this information to Hersh and stressed to him that the United States is effectively supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria with money and weapons." Independent Al-Watan, for its part, highlighted this story in a front-page report accompanied by a picture of an informal meeting between President Bush and Saudi National Security Adviser Bandar Bin-Abd-al-Aziz at President Bush's ranch in Texas. The report says that the new American strategy, as cited by Hersh, "will be implemented through close coordination with Saudi security agencies, and it seeks to weaken both Syria and Iran." It cites Hersh's statement that "the secret American operations in Iran, Lebanon, and Syria are directed by US Vice President Dick Cheney, and they rely heavily on Saudi Arabia and former Saudi Ambassador in Washington Prince Bandar Bin-Sultan." End of summary. ¶2. Selected Headlines: "President Asad and Malaysian PM Badawi review regional and international developments, reiterating the importance of a political solution in Iraq and supporting unity of the Palestinian government. Syria and Malaysia sign six cooperation agreements" (Government-owned Tishreen, 2/27) "President Asad receives a message from Saudi King Abdullah Ben Abdul-Aziz inviting him to attend the Arab Summit" (Government-owned Tishreen, 2/26) "Foreign Minister Mouallem, Iranian FM Mottaki and Iraqi FM Zebari discuss preparations for the meeting of Iraq's neighboring countries" (Government-owned Tishreen, 2/26) "Vice President Shara receives an Iraqi delegation representing tribes of Al-Anbar and Mosul: Ending occupation and achieving national reconciliation are the way to enable Iraq to get out of the current ordeal" (Government-owned Tishreen, 2/26) "Former Lebanese PM al-Huss: The US agenda is the reason for Lebanese crisis. The opposition: Washington rejects agreement among Lebanese, as it rejected the Mecca Accord" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/27) "Lebanese President Lahoud refuses to abandon Presidency for an illegal government. Seymour Hersh: The US Administration is planting sedition in Lebanon" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 2/26) "Israeli occupation forces respond to the Palestinian deal on forming a national unity government with incursions into Nablus" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/26) ¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: -------------- "In Order to Trust Arab Summits" -------------- Abd-al-Fattah al-Awad, Chief Editor of government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote (2/26): "In principle, Syria supports every Arab-Arab meeting. Syria has always been enthusiastic about any activity that leads to a unifying, not a divisive, Arab discourse.... "Now the Arab countries need to focus, more than ever, on things that bring them together and lead them to the adoption of concordant and solidarity-based positions. Syria, which is shouldering a heavy burden, has the right to ask its brothers to take clear and supportive positions toward many of the issues that directly concern it.... Arab countries must at least support the Syrian positions toward the peace process and the return of the Golan and toward every other issue in which Syria is the main party concerned.... "The upcoming Arab summit will be full of issues that might affect the Arab future. It is the duty of every Arab country, therefore, to render it successful.... "The success of the summit is linked to the ability of Arab leaders to commit to the concerns of Arab citizens, not to any other options. Arab citizens have lost much confidence in the seriousness of Arab governments about creating a unified position. They believe some governments have adopted positions that are far from such a unified Arab position. "At any rate, the Arab League and the Arab summits strongly need to regain this confidence. We hope the next summit will be a major step toward the achievement of this objective." -------------- "Illusory Promises" -------------- Omar Jaftali, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (2/26): "The US Administration is working to foil the agreement that Fatah and HAMAS signed in Mecca and is threatening to punish the Palestinian national unity government that will result from it and to maintain the siege and the collective punishment against Palestinians.... "Washington wants the Palestinian government to meet conditions in return for illusory promises like those that Bush made three years ago when he talked about a Palestinian state and rejected Israeli settlements and the separation wall in the West Bank. "The Israeli incursion into the West Bank city of Nabulus and the continuation of the Israeli terrorist operations and the Judaization of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque prove that nothing has changed in the nature of the American policy. The United States always wants to fulfill Israeli wishes...." -------------- "How Reconcile These Things?" -------------- Izz-al-Din al-Darwish, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (2/26): "The reported Israeli request that the United States allow Israeli warplanes to fly over Iraq to attack Iran's nuclear installations, shows the American-Israeli coordination and way of thinking in the post-Iraq occupation stage, where the United States gives Israeli aggressiveness a free hand without any regard for the region's security and stability.... "Israel, which is a nuclear power rebelling not only against the IAEA but also against international legitimacy altogether, wants through military thuggery and US cover to attack Iran's peaceful nuclear program. It already did something like that when it attacked and destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981.... "There is a double standard in the international approach toward the nuclear issue in the region.... Israeli officials do not hide their intention to launch a new aggression on Lebanon. They never stop making threats against Syria and Palestinians. And now there is the news about Israeli preparations to attack Iran. All this shows that Israel is the source of the plague for Arabs and Muslims and that the Bush administration knows nothing other than support for Israeli aggression...." Corbin