Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria/EU, Syria/Israel,

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000625 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, Lebanon, Syria/EU, Syria/Israel, Iraq (6/21) ¶1. Summary: Syrian papers on June 20 and 21 quoted Amr Moussa, the Arab League Secretary General, as saying on June 19 that Arab foreign ministers, who met in Cairo last Friday, did not receive any document from the Lebanese delegation on weapons smuggling to Lebanon. The papers concluded that this rebuts allegations of some parties in the Lebanese government regarding this issue. Syrian papers reported that the Syrian Minister of Expatriates, Boutheina Shabaan, discussed on June 19 with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit the situation of the Egyptian workforce in Syria and means of boosting ties between Syrian and Egyptian expatriates abroad. The papers also reported Kuwaiti FM Al-Sabah's statement describing the talks between President Assad and Kuwait's Crown Prince as "very productive." Discussions between Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf and President al-Assad focused on the Palestinian crisis, Lebanon and Iraq and the role that could be played by the two countries to prevent the escalation of these conflicts. Independent newspaper al-Watan published an AFP story about a Syrian-Russian deal to purchase advanced MIG-31E fighter-jets, but also quoted a Russian official denying such a deal, according to which Damascus would receive five MIG-31E jets and a number of MIG 29MM2's. The papers also reported that Syria has closed a third border point between Lebanon and Syria in northern Lebanon. This will leave al-Jdaydeh al-Masnaa as the only border crossing between the two countries. Papers also covered a meeting between Deputy PM Dardari and the EU Ambassador in Damascus. The two discussed technical cooperation between Syria and the EU. Ambassador Bontosoglou stressed the importance of Syrian-European cooperation, pointing out the necessity of taking full advantage of the aid provided by the European Union. End of summary. ¶2. Selected Headlines: "Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah concludes a two-day visit to Syria... Kuwaiti PM: 'Talks were very constructive and fruitful.'" (government-owned Tishreen, 06/20/07) "British MPs and politicians call for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan: Syria is part of the solution and the West does not know its reality" (government-owned Tishreen 6/20/07) Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa: "Allegations on weapons smuggling to Lebanon are incorrect." (government-owned Tishreen, 06/20/07) "President Assad reviewed Arab-German relations and regional issues with Schroeder; Schroeder: Syria has the right to recover the Golan" (government-owned al Baath, 06/21/07) "Damascus has not requested US mediation with Israel," (Independent al Watan, 06/21/07) ¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: -------------- "Away from Chirac" -------------- Amr Nassef, a commentator in independent al-Watan, wrote (06/20): "One does not have to exert too much effort to understand the relationship between the approach of Sarkozy's France and the assassination of the Lebanese MP Walid Eido, which was a strong, sudden blow to the French efforts which are trying to look onto Lebanon free from any influences that used, during Chirac's time, to put personal benefits prior to and above any other calculations. "The new French position could be seen in the French initiative that tried to get all Lebanese parties together in a dialogue and tried to be at the same distance from all the parties... "This can be understood as a normal diplomatic issue for a new administration, but what makes it different is the name of the French envoy who brought the initiative, and who was received coldly by the government team in Beirut - Jean-Claude Cousseran...,[who] used to be Ambassador to Damascus.... Cousseran is not a easy person to be subjugated by the sentimental issues that the ruling party in Lebanon is good at. He has not shown a tendency to accept gifts and presents. He seems to be in good harmony with the person who dispatched him [Sarkozy] for this mission and, maybe, for a more important one in the near future. Thus, one can easily notice why there is a desire by some parties in Lebanon to exclude [the new] France from the Lebanese equation, even if it requires the sacrifice of a major loyalist to the majority...." -------------- "In order not to turn Ramallah into Saigon and Gaza into Hanoi" -------------- In an op-ed in government owned Tishreen, Former Syrian minister Mahdi Dakhlallah wrote (06/20): "Each and every Arab has the right to wonder why Israel and the West would support one Palestinian party against the other. This will harm the supported party and will entrap it in political commitments that will harm the Palestinian cause... "Are we going to witness in the future Israeli support for a Palestinian Saigon facing a Palestinian Hanoi, which will mean a bloody fight between the Palestinian brothers...? "Ramallah today is facing a difficult test: it either works hard to restore Palestinian harmony or finds itself turning gradually into a Palestinian Saigon...,[while] Gaza turns into a Hanoi." Corbin