Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07DAMASCUS436
2007-05-10 12:59:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:
Syria/Libya, Syria/UN, Syria/France, Iraq, Lebanon,
how-toVZCZCXYZ0003 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHDM #0436/01 1301259 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 101259Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3441 RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6788 RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4517 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3138 RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7661 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1736 RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5071 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1278 RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA// INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7403
UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000436
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: Syria/Libya, Syria/UN, Syria/France, Iraq, Lebanon,
Palestinian Territories (5/10)
UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000436
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: Syria/Libya, Syria/UN, Syria/France, Iraq, Lebanon,
Palestinian Territories (5/10)
1. Summary: Syrian press on May 10 reported President Asad's
meeting on May 9 with Libyan Prime Minister El-Baghdadi Ali
al-Mahmoudi. This is the first high level meeting between the two
countries for years. Talks dealt with bilateral relations, mutual
cooperation, and topics on the agenda of the Syrian-Libyan Joint
Higher Committee, which inaugurated its deliberations in Damascus on
May 9. Al-Mahmoudi was also received by PM Otri, with whom he
discussed mutual cooperation and means of enhancing it in all
fields, in the interest of both peoples.
Papers also reported that President Asad received a telephone call
from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on May 9 to talk about issues
that were earlier discussed by the two sides during Ki-Moon's recent
visit to Damascus.
End of summary.
2. Selected Headlines:
"President Asad discusses bilateral relations and mutual cooperation
with Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi. Meeting of
the Syrian-Libyan Joint Committee is necessary to expand investment
opportunities and to increase trade" (Government-owned Al-Thawra,
5/10)
"President Asad receives a telephone call from UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-Moon within the framework of continuing coordination with the
UN" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/10)
"The Joint Syrian-Libyan Higher Committee commences its
deliberations in Damascus. PM Otri and his Libyan counterpart
al-Mahmudi: Our cooperation serves our common interests"
(Government-owned TIshreen, 5/10)
"60 percent of Americans support scheduling withdrawal of US troops
from Iraq" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/10)
"Tehran seeks to help Washington in Iraq. Zebari talks about the
possibility of releasing the five Iranian hostages held by US
forces" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/10)
"Killing and injury of 7 US soldiers since Cheney's arrival to
Baghdad" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/10)
"General Aoun: The Parliament is not qualified to elect a new
president" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/10)
"A new Israeli incursion into Gaza amid heavy criticism"
(Independent al-Watan, 5/10)
"Speaker of the Italian Parliament breaks EU siege on Palestinians"
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/10)
3. Editorial Block Quotes:
--------------
"France under New Presidency"
--------------
Isam Dari, Chief Editor of government-owned Tishreen, commented
(5/10): "Syria is looking ahead with hope that the Syrian-French
relations will witness positive development to serve the interests
of the two countries and peoples as well as the region's peace and
security....
"Syria, which seeks to build the best and strongest relations with
all countries of the world without exception on the basis of
reciprocal treatment, common interests, and noninterference in
domestic affairs, is extremely eager to have special relations with
France. Today it respects the will of the French people and their
democratic option....
"The difficulties that Syrian-French relations have witnessed in the
past few years were a result of pure personal positions and the
personalization of the political situation against the will of the
French people and the interests of France....
"Sarkozy became the president of France through the will and choice
of the French people. It is natural for the new president to
express the interests of his country and people and pursue policies
that embody this on the ground. The French president knows the size
of France's interests in the Arab countries and the region in
general, and we do not think he will look at the Arab world with
indifference...."
--------------
"Exaggerated Mistakes"
--------------
Omar Jaftali, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, said
(5/10): "The Pentagon has announced that more troops will be
deployed in Iraq.... The White House spokesman stated that attacks
against US forces in Iraq are expected to escalate in the future....
This shows that the Bush administration, with its hawks and Zionized
figures, is ignoring all American, Arab, and international
criticisms and demands and is, indeed, determined to proceed with
its hostile military plan against Iraq and its people and against
the Arab region in general....
"What is more surprising is that administration officials do not
care about their dead and about the future of their soldiers, who
have been pushed into useless battles with no honorable objective,
battles that only harm the reputation of the United States and the
American people...."
--------------
"Some Arabs Need a Winograd Commission"
--------------
Khalid al-Ashhab, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(5/10): "The Winograd report is being discussed, even by some
Arabs, in a way suggesting that it was natural and logical for
Israel to prevail in its war on Lebanon....
"It is very well understandable that Israel is trying to turn its
military defeat in Lebanon into a political and diplomatic victory,
but it is neither understandable nor justifiable that some Arabs are
failing to maintain their victory, or, at least, are turning it
into a psychological defeat....
"Israel needed an investigation commission to discover the reasons
behind its failure to complete a crime. How many commissions of
this type do some Arabs need to know the reasons behind their
complete crime of abandoning the honorable resistance, and indeed of
inciting against it?"
--------------
"Seeds of Sedition"
--------------
Mihriz al-Ali, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(5/10): "The security plan that the US Administration presented to
the Palestinian Authority carries the seeds of sedition.... It
represents an indirect call for Palestinian civil strife....
"The plan does not take into consideration the Palestinian people's
suffering as a result of Israel's isolating policy. The removal of
some Israeli roadblocks does not fulfill minimum Palestinian
requirements. To those who say the plan is necessary as a
confidence-building measure: How can confidence be built while more
than 11,000 Palestinian detainees, including ministers and members
of the Palestinian Legislative Council, suffer the ugliest forms of
torture in Israeli prisons?
"Palestinians must demonstrate further solidarity and national unity
to confront and foil such hostile plans...."
--------------
"The Satanic Alliance"
--------------
Hanan Hamad, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote
(5/10): "No one is unaware of the US pressures being exerted on
moderate Arabs to revive the process of achieving a political
settlement of the Arab-Zionist conflict on Israeli terms.
"These terms call for setting up an Arab-Israeli alliance to
confront the so-called 'Iranian danger,' on the pretext that Iran's
threat to Israel is no less than its threat to the Arab states....
"What is worse is the fact that there are some people among the
advocates of the Palestinian issue, or, rather, the ones who claim
this honor, who defend this deal and promote the idea of the
possibility of unifying Arab and Israeli stands toward the alleged
'Iranian danger.'
"What makes this move attractive is the notion that it will be
preceded by a resolution to the Palestinian issue, on the grounds
that this issue is a top priority and that a resolution to it will
help establish such an alliance....
"It is sad that the political agenda of some Palestinians must stoop
this low. Also, it is sad that they must promote this alliance with
the devil against an alleged danger by turning Iran -- an effective
strategic ally in the face of the Zionist enemy -- into an enemy
more dangerous than Israel itself, only because Tehran is
considering the use of nuclear technology to serve its people's
economy and prosperity....
"Nevertheless, what hurts most is that this deal is being promoted
at a time when the Olmert government and the Bush administration are
suffering deadlock with regard to the occupation of Palestine and
Iraq, now that the resistance action in both Arab countries and in
Lebanon has put the myth of the invincible force to the test.
"Instead of capitalizing on the July victory and the Iraqi
resistance's ability to hit the US occupation army painfully to
impose Arab conditions on any possible settlement, there are some
Arabs who are losing self-respect and harming their people's dignity
in order to buoy up Bush and Olmert and save them from their
ordeal."
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: Syria/Libya, Syria/UN, Syria/France, Iraq, Lebanon,
Palestinian Territories (5/10)
1. Summary: Syrian press on May 10 reported President Asad's
meeting on May 9 with Libyan Prime Minister El-Baghdadi Ali
al-Mahmoudi. This is the first high level meeting between the two
countries for years. Talks dealt with bilateral relations, mutual
cooperation, and topics on the agenda of the Syrian-Libyan Joint
Higher Committee, which inaugurated its deliberations in Damascus on
May 9. Al-Mahmoudi was also received by PM Otri, with whom he
discussed mutual cooperation and means of enhancing it in all
fields, in the interest of both peoples.
Papers also reported that President Asad received a telephone call
from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on May 9 to talk about issues
that were earlier discussed by the two sides during Ki-Moon's recent
visit to Damascus.
End of summary.
2. Selected Headlines:
"President Asad discusses bilateral relations and mutual cooperation
with Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi. Meeting of
the Syrian-Libyan Joint Committee is necessary to expand investment
opportunities and to increase trade" (Government-owned Al-Thawra,
5/10)
"President Asad receives a telephone call from UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-Moon within the framework of continuing coordination with the
UN" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/10)
"The Joint Syrian-Libyan Higher Committee commences its
deliberations in Damascus. PM Otri and his Libyan counterpart
al-Mahmudi: Our cooperation serves our common interests"
(Government-owned TIshreen, 5/10)
"60 percent of Americans support scheduling withdrawal of US troops
from Iraq" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/10)
"Tehran seeks to help Washington in Iraq. Zebari talks about the
possibility of releasing the five Iranian hostages held by US
forces" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/10)
"Killing and injury of 7 US soldiers since Cheney's arrival to
Baghdad" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/10)
"General Aoun: The Parliament is not qualified to elect a new
president" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/10)
"A new Israeli incursion into Gaza amid heavy criticism"
(Independent al-Watan, 5/10)
"Speaker of the Italian Parliament breaks EU siege on Palestinians"
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/10)
3. Editorial Block Quotes:
--------------
"France under New Presidency"
--------------
Isam Dari, Chief Editor of government-owned Tishreen, commented
(5/10): "Syria is looking ahead with hope that the Syrian-French
relations will witness positive development to serve the interests
of the two countries and peoples as well as the region's peace and
security....
"Syria, which seeks to build the best and strongest relations with
all countries of the world without exception on the basis of
reciprocal treatment, common interests, and noninterference in
domestic affairs, is extremely eager to have special relations with
France. Today it respects the will of the French people and their
democratic option....
"The difficulties that Syrian-French relations have witnessed in the
past few years were a result of pure personal positions and the
personalization of the political situation against the will of the
French people and the interests of France....
"Sarkozy became the president of France through the will and choice
of the French people. It is natural for the new president to
express the interests of his country and people and pursue policies
that embody this on the ground. The French president knows the size
of France's interests in the Arab countries and the region in
general, and we do not think he will look at the Arab world with
indifference...."
--------------
"Exaggerated Mistakes"
--------------
Omar Jaftali, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, said
(5/10): "The Pentagon has announced that more troops will be
deployed in Iraq.... The White House spokesman stated that attacks
against US forces in Iraq are expected to escalate in the future....
This shows that the Bush administration, with its hawks and Zionized
figures, is ignoring all American, Arab, and international
criticisms and demands and is, indeed, determined to proceed with
its hostile military plan against Iraq and its people and against
the Arab region in general....
"What is more surprising is that administration officials do not
care about their dead and about the future of their soldiers, who
have been pushed into useless battles with no honorable objective,
battles that only harm the reputation of the United States and the
American people...."
--------------
"Some Arabs Need a Winograd Commission"
--------------
Khalid al-Ashhab, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(5/10): "The Winograd report is being discussed, even by some
Arabs, in a way suggesting that it was natural and logical for
Israel to prevail in its war on Lebanon....
"It is very well understandable that Israel is trying to turn its
military defeat in Lebanon into a political and diplomatic victory,
but it is neither understandable nor justifiable that some Arabs are
failing to maintain their victory, or, at least, are turning it
into a psychological defeat....
"Israel needed an investigation commission to discover the reasons
behind its failure to complete a crime. How many commissions of
this type do some Arabs need to know the reasons behind their
complete crime of abandoning the honorable resistance, and indeed of
inciting against it?"
--------------
"Seeds of Sedition"
--------------
Mihriz al-Ali, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(5/10): "The security plan that the US Administration presented to
the Palestinian Authority carries the seeds of sedition.... It
represents an indirect call for Palestinian civil strife....
"The plan does not take into consideration the Palestinian people's
suffering as a result of Israel's isolating policy. The removal of
some Israeli roadblocks does not fulfill minimum Palestinian
requirements. To those who say the plan is necessary as a
confidence-building measure: How can confidence be built while more
than 11,000 Palestinian detainees, including ministers and members
of the Palestinian Legislative Council, suffer the ugliest forms of
torture in Israeli prisons?
"Palestinians must demonstrate further solidarity and national unity
to confront and foil such hostile plans...."
--------------
"The Satanic Alliance"
--------------
Hanan Hamad, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote
(5/10): "No one is unaware of the US pressures being exerted on
moderate Arabs to revive the process of achieving a political
settlement of the Arab-Zionist conflict on Israeli terms.
"These terms call for setting up an Arab-Israeli alliance to
confront the so-called 'Iranian danger,' on the pretext that Iran's
threat to Israel is no less than its threat to the Arab states....
"What is worse is the fact that there are some people among the
advocates of the Palestinian issue, or, rather, the ones who claim
this honor, who defend this deal and promote the idea of the
possibility of unifying Arab and Israeli stands toward the alleged
'Iranian danger.'
"What makes this move attractive is the notion that it will be
preceded by a resolution to the Palestinian issue, on the grounds
that this issue is a top priority and that a resolution to it will
help establish such an alliance....
"It is sad that the political agenda of some Palestinians must stoop
this low. Also, it is sad that they must promote this alliance with
the devil against an alleged danger by turning Iran -- an effective
strategic ally in the face of the Zionist enemy -- into an enemy
more dangerous than Israel itself, only because Tehran is
considering the use of nuclear technology to serve its people's
economy and prosperity....
"Nevertheless, what hurts most is that this deal is being promoted
at a time when the Olmert government and the Bush administration are
suffering deadlock with regard to the occupation of Palestine and
Iraq, now that the resistance action in both Arab countries and in
Lebanon has put the myth of the invincible force to the test.
"Instead of capitalizing on the July victory and the Iraqi
resistance's ability to hit the US occupation army painfully to
impose Arab conditions on any possible settlement, there are some
Arabs who are losing self-respect and harming their people's dignity
in order to buoy up Bush and Olmert and save them from their
ordeal."
Corbin