Mousa, Bilal, Aboul Gheit, Lebanon, Palestinian

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000694 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: Mousa, Bilal, Aboul Gheit, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Iraq, Bush (7/9) ¶1. Summary: Syrian papers on July 9 reported the July 8 arrival in Damascus from Riyadh of Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa, for a two-day official visit to Syria. Mousa will meet with senior Syrian officials about the latest developments in Lebanon. He will discuss the Lebanese crisis with Syrian President Asad and brief him on efforts of the Arab League to find a solution. Papers also featured an interview with Minister of Information Mohsen Bilal on al-Jazeera TV on July 8. Bilal stressed Syria's commitment to a just and comprehensive peace that guarantees the return of the occupied Syrian Golan, Shebaa farms, and the hills of Kfar Shoba, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the Palestinian refugees' right of return. He said that "Syria stands by Lebanon's interest, unity and national accord," and asserted the necessity of dialogue among the Lebanese people and formation of a national unity government. "Syria helps Lebanon and supports the brotherly Lebanese people with whom we share strong ties and national and pan-Arab relations," he said. He added that "the visit of Arab League Secretary General Mousa to Syria aims to discuss the situations in the Arab arena, particularly in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq." On relations with France and Britain, Dr. Bilal expressed hope that the upcoming period will witness positive developments. On Syrian-Egyptian relations, papers cited an interview with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit published in Egyptian daily Algomhoria on July 8, describing Syrian-Egyptian relations as "deep," and confirming that both countries are continuing consultations regarding issues of the Middle East. Aboul Gheit hailed cordial and continuing dialogue between Syria and Egypt. He called on all Palestinian parties to work for national reconciliation and conduct a dialogue on all disputes. He expressed his country's desire to build relations with Iran on a solid basis. End of summary. ¶2. Selected Headlines: "Arab League Secretary General Mousa arrives in Damascus to hold talks on latest developments in the region" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 7/8) "Bilal: Mousa will discuss developments in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 7/8) "Information Minister Dr. Bilal: Syria stands by Lebanon's unity and calls for dialogue among its citizens" (Government-owned Tishreen, 7/9) "Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul-Gheit: Our relations with Syria are friendly and our consultations are continuing" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 7/9) "Speaker of Lebanese Parliament Berri: We will not permit Lebanon to be turned into an arena for settling scores. Lebanese circles describe US Ambassador in Beirut as babysitter" (Government-owned Tishreen, 7/9) "The Olmert government initially agrees to release 250 Fateh prisoners while it ignores 10,500 Palestinians in Israeli jails" (Government-owned Tishreen, 7/9) "US President Bush witnesses a difficult week at the Congress. Death toll of US soldiers reached 28 in July" (Government-owned Tishreen, 7/9) "Egyptian Foreign Ministry warns Egyptians not to sneak into Syria" (Independent al-Watan, 7/9) ¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: -------------- "Take the Wisdom from Feltman" -------------- Muhyi-al-Din al-Muhammad, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (7/9): "US Ambassador in Beirut Feltman made an insolent remark when he said that Hizbollah is a terrorist organization posing a threat to the region. "US officials reject every form of resistance against their plans, occupations, and hostile policies. They reject every form of resistance against Israel, which occupies Arab lands in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan, and south Lebanon, and which disregards the Security Council resolutions that have for four decades been calling for withdrawal from those occupied territories. "Israel has been practicing state terrorism since its establishment, while Hizbollah directed its weapons only against the occupier and managed to smash Israel's arrogance...." -------------- - "Repercussions of the Gaza Events; Present and Future Threat to The Palestinian Cause" -------------- -- Dr. Sayyah Azzam, a columnist in government-owned Al-Ba'th, wrote (7/9): "The United States and Israel planned the bloody fighting in Gaza between Fateh and HAMAS.... Palestinian divisions help Israel overcome the difficult situation it has been experiencing since its defeat in the Lebanon war and provide it with an opportunity to continue its repression of the Palestinian people and its usurpation of their land and rights.... "Palestinians must realize the enormous threats that the Gaza events pose to their present and future.... "The Israeli steps, like the release of some funds to the government in Ramallah, are only meant to deepen the division among Palestinians...." -------------- "Realization and Precaution" -------------- Maha Sultan, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote (7/9): "The Republican opposition to President Bush's Iraq policy is widening.... This is a result of the realization that the September evaluation of the progress in Bush's strategy in Iraq will not be positive, no matter what plastic surgeries Bush and his team may perform on it.... "With the presidential election at the doorstep, Republicans, especially the prominent figures, want to distance themselves from Bush.... "So this is not a realization of the extent of damage and destruction that Bush's policies have caused to Iraq and the Iraqis, but an attempt to evade damage to their electoral chances...." Corbin