SYRIAN OPPOSITION EXPRESS VIEWS TO CODEL ISSA

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000356 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS FOR WALLER; LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/11/2017 TAGS: IS PGOV PHUM PREL SY SUBJECT: SYRIAN OPPOSITION EXPRESS VIEWS TO CODEL ISSA Classified By: CDA Michael Corbin, for reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (C) Summary: Congressman Issa met with key opposition figures, including former MP Riad Seif and the wife of imprisoned political reformer Kamal Labwani to discuss the internal political situation in Syria. Both Seif and Samer Labwani asked that Congress put pressure on the SARG to allow more internal freedoms which would strengthen the opposition. Issa also had lunch with a number of human rights activists who expressed concern that the SARG was using its consolidated position to crack down on internal dissent. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On April 5, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and staffers David Abruzzino and Jeremy Bash met for 20 minutes with former MP and political prisoner Riad Seif who continues to champion liberal political reform in Syria. Seif claimed that 95 percent of the Syrian people are in some way hurt by the regime,s corrupt practices and that they are all therefore potential opposition supporters. The key to mobilizing the 95 percent was to make them aware that it is the regime who makes their lives difficult. The way to do this, Seif asserted, was to open up some political space for the opposition to operate. If Congress could pressure the SARG to allow more freedom of expression and respect for human rights, then the opposition could become powerful by publicizing its message to the large percentage of Syrian society harmed by the regime. On the international front, Seif said that the U.S. could greatly aid political reform in Syria if an Israeli-Palestinian peace could be achieved. In such a scenario the SARG would no longer be able to use the oppression of Palestinians as a means to distract Syrians from their own oppression. ¶3. (C) Issa also met for 15 minutes with Samer Labwani, the wife of the imprisoned, liberal political reformer Kamal Labwani. Samer stressed that the number one goal of the U.S. government vis--vis Syria should be that no Syrians are hurt. One way to fulfill the goal of doing no harm, Samer continued, was to push for the release of Syrian political prisoners. Working to release political prisoners would also improve America,s position in the Middle East, Samer argued. Samer also told Issa that the SARG tended to increase its pressure on dissidents when it felt secure internally and externally. Therefore, the SARG would feel less free to deal with internal dissidents harshly if the U.S. brought up all the cases of political prisoners during any future dialogue, she said. ¶4. (C) In addition Issa had a one hour lunch with four prominent human rights and civil society activists. The Syrian attendees included: Daad Mousa, a well-known lawyer, a civil society activist and expert on women,s issues; Radwan Ziadeh, an academic and president of the Damascus Center for the Study of Human Rights; Ammar Qurabi, a leading human rights activist and president of the National Organization for Human Rights; and Wisam Tarif, a civil society activist and advisor to imprisoned political reformer Kamal Labwani. All have been pressured to stop their work on political reform and civil society, and all have been banned from traveling abroad. For instance, Mousa explained how she had been prevented by the SARG from conducting training sessions in advocacy work for civil society activists. ¶5. (C) All the guests made an effort to focus the attention of the U.S. on the internal situation in Syria. Ziadeh, who is an outspoken critic of the regime, told Issa that the SARG's level of internal repression would not change regardless of whether th U.S. engaged or isolated Syria. When the Congressman asked for specific ways on how the U.S. could help the internal opposition, Qurabi brought up the need for independent election monitoring and how there has been a lack of western interest in and assistance for internal opposition groups like the NOHR who are trying to independently and unofficially monitor Syrian elections despite increasing pressure not to do so from the SARG. Tarif said that many in the Syrian opposition were perplexed by the many U.S. visits and thought it might be a sign of weakening U.S. interest in democratic reform in Syria. CORBIN