Palestinian Territories, Syria/Lebanon, Syria/Israel,

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000572

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/Lebanon, Syria/Israel,
Syria/France/US, G8 Summit, Iraq (6/11)


1. Summary: Syrian papers on June 11 reported that the Arab League
on June 10 renewed its condemnation of the US congressional
resolution which expressed support for Israel in its continued
occupation of Jerusalem, describing the resolution as a flagrant
violation of international law. Papers featured a statement by
Mohammad Sbeih, Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League for
Palestinian Affairs, that "With this resolution, the US congress has
thrown aside all previous resolutions regarding occupied Jerusalem;
thus the US has lost credibility in the Middle East and the world."
Sbeih held the US responsible for what is going on in occupied
Jerusalem.

On Syrian-Lebanese relations, papers reported that Foreign Minister
Mouallem met on June 10 with a delegation from the Syrian Social
Nationalist Party, headed by Secretary General Ali Qansoh. The
meeting focused on recent regional developments in Lebanon, Iraq,
Palestine and Syrian-Lebanese relations.
FM Mouallem confirmed Syria's keenness to ensure Lebanon's stability
and its support of what is agreed upon by the Lebanese people
without foreign interference. Members of the delegation reiterated
the importance of Syria's regional role in achieving stability and
security, pointing to Syria's constant support of Lebanon in all
fields. Later, Qansoh expressed his appreciation for Syria's
national stances and its role in Lebanon in past decades, as well as
its concern for civil peace, national unity and stability in
Lebanon. Qansoh said that his meeting with FM Mouallem dealt with
political developments in the region in general and in Lebanon in
particular, pointing out the support that is offered by Syria to the
Lebanese to achieve harmony among themselves that would lead to
solving the current political crisis.

End of summary.


2. Selected Headlines:

"Bkhitan, Otri, and Mouallem receive a delegation representing the
Syrian Social Nationalist party in Lebanon. Kanso: Syria supports
a real Lebanese accord" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 6/11)

"The Arab League denounces the decision of the US Congress to
support the continued Israeli occupation of Jerusalem: The US has
no credibility" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/11)

"Violent clashes in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp. The Lebanese
opposition holds the governing team in Lebanon responsible for the
prolonged crisis. Fatah al-Islam: Our organization has no link with
Syria" (Government-owned Tishreen, 6/11)

"Israel reiterates threats under the pretext of the Kisovim
operation. A truce agreement reached between Fateh and Hamas"
(Government-owned Tishreen, 6/11)


3. Editorial Block Quotes:

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"Peace, Suddenly"

--------------

Waddah Abd-Rabbuh, Chief Editor of independent al-Watan, wrote
(6/11): "As Israel suddenly turns into a peaceful state that is
committed to UNSC resolutions, this means that it has to carry out
resolutions 242 and 338 without delay, procrastination or
preconditions....

"If Olmert and Netanyahu are really serious about peace, which is
unlikely, they must immediately announce unconditional and full
withdrawal from the occupied Golan in implementation of Security
Council resolutions and convince Israelis that these resolutions are
binding and that Israel cannot continue its occupation of the lands
of others....

"The talk about support for 'terrorism' and Hizballah and about the
dismantling of the Syrian-Iranian track and other obvious political
maneuvers become meaningless when there are binding international

resolutions....

"Some Israelis today say that war is coming and that Israeli cannot
accept defeat, will not negotiate peace on a weak status and will
enflame the whole region before sitting at the negotiating table.
This theory seems more convincing than other theories circulated by
the Israeli press, especially as it justifies the 'sudden
inclination to peace' that Olmert and Netanyahu talk about...."

-------------- --

"Which Route Will Olmert Chose, War or Peace?"

-------------- --

Marwan Qabalan, a commentator in independent al-Watan, wrote (6/11):
"The confusion in Israel over the issue of war and peace is due to
domestic and foreign factors, such as the divisions in Israel and
the American position....

"Olmert's weak government, which is managed by remote control from
Washington, is unable to conclude peace but is certainly able to
launch war if it receives a green light.... Therefore it is better,
at this stage, to turn less attention to what is happening in Israel
and more attention to what is happening in Washington, where the
decisions of war and peace are made, as the recent Lebanon war
showed...."

--------------

"Sarkozy and Difference with Bush"

--------------

Muhyi-al-Din al-Muhammad, a columnist in government-Tishreen, wrote
(6/11): "Press reports related differences between US President
George Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy over diplomatic
contacts with Syria....

"Sarkozy's statement on the sidelines of the G-8 summit that he does
not rule out contacts with Syria if this helps ensure Lebanon's
independence and finding the killers of former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafiq al-Hariri does not indicate a radical change in
French policy [toward Syria] as much as it shows that the whole
world can no longer blindly accept the falsehoods that the US
Administration has tried to promote over the past six years. The
French president's statement also shows French skepticism about the
accusations against Syria over the al-Hariri assassination and the
all the security incidents that fraternal Lebanon has witnessed in
the past three year....

"There are many reasons that make Sarkozy and other world leaders
more able to announce their disagreement with, if not opposition to,
the US Administration's policy.

"These reasons include the domestic American opposition to the
administration's policies and the fact that the countdown for Bush's
days in the White House has started without him fulfilling any of
his promises to the world, especially with regard to the fight
against terrorism.

"Bush's anti-terrorism policy created appropriate atmospheres for
the growth of terrorism.... Even with regard to Lebanon and the
accusations by some Lebanese that Syria is destabilizing Lebanon,
events and facts have proven that Lebanon is full of terrorist
groups and extremist takfiri organizations that are blessed by the
same Lebanese parties that level unsubstantiated accusations against
Syria. It was also proven that US Vice President Dick Cheney is
involved in funding some of the takfiri groups that are carrying out
terrorist operations on Lebanese territory. And perhaps some of
these operations are encouraged by those who call themselves 'the
majority' so that Syria can be falsely blamed....

"Yes, the opposition to Bush's positions and policies by Americans
and by many world leaders indicates that the US Administration's
failed policy has been exposed as a policy that has tried to violate

world and impose American hegemony through military force or
economic and political pressure. As for Syria, which adopts a
clear, transparent, and objective approach, it fully trusts that the
deception that the Bush administration has practiced against it will
be exposed, no matter how long it takes."

--------------
"Borg on Defeating Hitler"

--------------

Ali Nasrallah, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote
(6/11): "Former Israeli Knesset Speaker Abraham Borg's statements
in which he likened Israeli society to Nazi society and said the
Israeli entity contains within itself the seeds of its own
destruction, are important and interesting.

"The remarks help uphold facts that Washington and other forces
wanted to hide.... They also help revive the UN resolution that
equates Nazism with Zionism, which effectively places Israel once
again on the beginning of the track of disappearance and
effacement...."

--------------

"The G-8 Summit Surprises the World"

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Ahmad Dawwa, an editorialist in government-owned al-Thawra, wrote
(6/11): "The G-8 Summit surprised the world. Its statement is not
worth the ink with which it was written....

"The summit offered no solutions to any of the world's problems....
It is disappointing that the G-8 leaders dealt with the Arab-Zionist
conflict in a way that equated the executioner with the victim, the
oppressor with the oppressed, and the occupier with the people who
are seeking freedom and expulsion of the occupation....

"This is a retreat on the part of the G-8 leaders with regard to the
issue of peace in the Middle East.... It encourages Israel to reject
peace.... Leaders of the region must read the results of the G-8
summit carefully....

"The G-8 statement is not promising. Indeed, it opens the door wide
for further international tension and, consequently, leads to
international instability, especially in the region, the leaders of
which no longer have an excuse to continue to leave it as a card in
a game played by the superpowers."

Roebuck