Syria/Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian Territories, Iran

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000588 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/Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian Territories, Iran (6/12) ¶1. Summary: Syrian papers on June 12 reported a meeting by the Central Leadership of the National Progressive Front (NPF) on June ¶11. The Leadership stressed Syria's firm position toward the issue of peace with Israel, describing the current peace proposals to Syria as "contradictory and not serious." The Leadership also reviewed the situation in Lebanon and reiterated Syria's position on the need to maintain the unity of the Lebanese people and territory and achieve national accord in the country. The Leadership discussed the current Israeli assaults against the Palestinian people and stressed the need to preserve and strengthen Palestinian national unity. The Leadership also discussed the situation in Iraq and stressed the need to maintain the unity of the Iraqi people and land and end the occupation, which gravely endangers this unity. On Syrian/Lebanese relations, papers reported Minister of Information Bilal's meeting on June 11 with a delegation from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon headed by Secretary General Ali Qansoh. They discussed recent regional developments and the challenges facing the Arab nation, in addition to the role of media in countering campaigns of delusion and distortion. Bilal confirmed that Syria is dedicated to ensuring Lebanon's stability, and that it supports what the Lebanese people agree upon under the constitution and free from foreign interference. Qansoh praised Syria's position in support of Lebanon and its important regional role. Papers also featured President Lahoud's meeting with a delegation representing the Lebanese Democratic Party in which he expressed confidence that Lebanon will emerge victorious in spite of the pressures that aim at subjugating it to foreign plots. Lahoud said that "the Lebanese people are sticking to their rights, and the international pressures will fail because Lebanon has defeated Israel twice when it stuck to its rights." He called for speeding up the formation of a national unity government in order to deal with pending issues, the most important of which is a parliamentary elections law that makes all the Lebanese people equal. On the events at Nahr al-Bared Camp, Lahoud stressed that everyone who attacked the army must be handed over to the judiciary. End of summary. ¶2. Selected Headlines: "The Central Leadership of the National Progressive Front discusses the current political situation: Syria's position on peace is constant... Israeli peace proposals are contradictory and not serious" (Government-owned Tishreen, 6/12) "Information Minister Bilal discusses the current situation in the region and the role of the media in confronting campaigns of deception with a delegation from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/12) "Fierce clashes continue in Nahr al-Bared. Five fighters from Fateh al-Islam killed. The Lebanese army demolishes Al-Absi's headquarters. Aoun: Civilians are a red line... We are in agreement with Hizbollah" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/12) "Lahoud warns against the conspiracy of settling Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to abort the Palestinian right of return, and against exhausting the Lebanese army" (Government-owned Tishreen, 6/12) "Militiamen target Palestinian PM Hanieh's house. Scores of Palestinians killed and injured in renewed clashes between Fateh and Hamas" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/12) "British PM Designate Brown in Baghdad turns Blair's page and paves the way for pullout from Iraq. The Pentagon modifies the Baghdad security plan: A new strategy to enlist Al-Qaeda dissident fighters" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/12) "The EU grants four million Euros of aid to the Palestinian Authority. The first national US demonstration in Washington calling for an end to Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/12) "Kuwait will not allow US military to attack Iran from its territory. Al-Baradei calls for adopting dialogue to solve the nuclear crisis" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/12) ¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: -------------- "Where Is Olmert's Seriousness about Peace?" -------------- Ahmad Sawwan, a columnist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (6/12): "Israeli PM Olmert said: I realize that any peace agreement with Syria will force me to return the Golan Heights to Syrian sovereignty, and I am ready to shoulder my responsibilities to establish peace between us....' "Is it true that Israel is ready and qualified to resume the negotiations and revive the peace process? And is it true that Olmert can captain the peace ship on the Israeli side...? "Olmert is coming under strong criticism over his failed policy and because of his defeat at the hands of the Lebanese national resistance in the surprise aggression of July 2006. He is also facing splits and cracks within his Qadima Party and in his alliances with the parties in his coalition government. He is the prime minister with the lowest popularity rating in six decades.... "Because of all this, Olmert has found nothing better to do than occasionally play the tune of the Syrian track. He believes that promoting ideas and proposals for peace with Syria might help him win some support and gain some power. This means that the credibility and seriousness of his talk about peace with Syria are in doubt. Syria has always been ready for revival and reactivation of the peace process from where it left off.... "So the worn-out Israeli tune about 'direct or indirect' secret negotiations is fabricated by Israel, and sometimes by the United States, or by both of them, to suggest that there is a deal on peace. Syria totally rejects this because peace does not need deals as much as it needs courageous political will...." -------------- "Olmert and Peace with Syria" -------------- Khurshid Dalli, an editorialist in independent al-Watan, said (6/12): "Israel is talking about peace with Syria in an attempt to make some strategic gains, such as distancing Damascus from Tehran, Hizbollah, and HAMAS and obtaining military political, and financial support from the United States.... "Israel is not willing to abandon the entire Golan, and Olmert, through the talk about peace or war with Syria, is trying to ease his government crisis.... Olmert, after the failure of the aggression on Lebanon, realizes that the war option is very costly, especially in light of reports that Syria has a formidable missile capability for both deterrence and assault...." -------------- "This Is Why Syria Resisted and Triumphed" -------------- Izz-al-Din al-Darwish, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (6/12): "Americans and Israelis used all their capabilities and agents in the anti-Syria campaign of pressure, provocation, threats, and fabrications in the past four years. But Syria succeeded in the confrontation and forced its attackers to reconsider their plans, as indeed happened when the Bush administration began to reconsider its calculations toward Syria and to request dialogue with it over the issues of the region.... "Syria's enemies discovered Syria's immunity and its important Arab and regional role.... Syria, which is the victim of aggression and which has a dear part of its territory under occupation, has always considered all possibilities and prepared for all developments. For it accurately knew the methods of its Israeli enemy and its ability to influence American decisions. This is why, perhaps, Syria was not surprised by the campaign of pressure and fabrications it came under, especially as it realized that the American invasion of Iraq was ultimately more of an Israeli decision than an American decision. This is why Syria resisted and triumphed. "The US plans against Syria in Lebanon also failed, especially with the defeat of the Israeli army in Lebanon.... Americans apparently became convinced, without announcing it, that Syria cannot be transcended, no matter what the pressure, and that they must return to it, which they unwillingly did...." -------------- "US Fingerprints behind the Crisis in Nahr al-Bared Refugee Camp" -------------- Walid Muhammad, a commentator in government-owned al-Ba'th, wrote (6/12): "The current escalation in Lebanon is not only a result of the domestic Lebanese bickering, but also a link in a plan concocted in the corridors of the American intelligence establishment, with the participation of regional circles and local Lebanese power centers, to impose American hegemony on the region and promote the culture of defeat at the expense of the resistance plan and the culture of steadfastness and opposition.... "The pro-government forces in Lebanon, at the request of the Americans, pushed the Lebanese Army, which is known for its nationalist doctrine and honorable mission of defending Lebanon alongside the national resistance against Israeli aggression, into a battle that is not its battle.... "Just as the United States and its allies and tools in Lebanon seek to politicize the al-Hariri assassination, one of the objectives of the Nahr al-Bared crisis today -- an objective that is known to everyone -- is to create new justifications for movement to other steps, including the disarming of the heroic resistance and the creation of the appropriate atmosphere for the settlement of Palestinian refugees...." -------------- "An Excuse for Hegemony" -------------- Muhammad Khair al-Jammali, an editorialist in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote (6/12): "The US claims that the Iranian threat is the reason behind the plan to deploy the missile shield in Eastern Europe.... "Iran is not powerful enough to threaten Europe.... The term, 'Iranian threat,' that the US Administration has used to market its new military program in Eastern Europe and directly on the borders with Russia, is only a new US excuse to cover up the policy of hegemony and strategic influence that the United States is pursuing in the world.... "Now that the United States has failed strategically in the Middle East, with its plans bringing upon it difficult predicaments and chronic crises, it has chosen the missile shield program in Eastern Europe as an excuse to compensate for its major failure. But the strong Russian opposition to this plan and the popular rejection of it in Poland, the Czech Republic, and other European countries will render the plan a failure, just like all other plans and excuses for hegemony...." Roebuck