RIAD SEIF SEEKS OTHERS TO ECHO DEPARTMENT'S AUG 15

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 03 DAMASCUS 000846 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS FOR JORDON; LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/19/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM SY SUBJECT: RIAD SEIF SEEKS OTHERS TO ECHO DEPARTMENT'S AUG 15 STATEMENT *********************** * Missing Section 001 * *********************** DAMASCUS 00000846 002 OF 003 group did not intend to form a party and was not angling to topple the Asad regime. Rather, he hoped to assemble a credible group of unassailable individuals whose calls for democratic reforms would teach Syrians not to fear criticizing the regime. By focusing strictly on the general need for democratic reform within the country, they could claim the high-ground and foster a discourse on democracy that the regime might find less threatening while still appealing to a broad range of Syrians. "We will not (debate or) take sides on the issues of Lebanon or Palestine. We will focus only on democracy. We are 18 million slaves under the Master of Assad." Seif said this group had thus far gathered in a number of small meetings of 40-50 members, most of them in his home. He noted that he was traveling to Qamishli for another gathering on August 17 and planned to attend a meeting in Aleppo a week later. ¶8. (C) Seif confirmed (Ref C) these meetings were on a track leading to a larger, albeit "low-profile" gathering in which the members would elect a president, vice president, two secretaries, and a 17-member board. (Note: the selection of an executive committee appears to be an attempt to overcome the stalemate created within Damascus Declaration by reliance on consensus among all members.) Seif was uncertain about the date for the larger meeting, speculating that it might take place immediately prior to or just after Ramadan, which is expected to begin this year on September 13. He acknowledged that his illness and possible travel abroad might affect the timing of the meeting. He noted that the group intended to make a public announcement only after it had successfully met to hold internal elections. ¶9. (C) Gesturing to the wall on the opposite side of the room, Seif said Syrian security forces made occassional use of the next-door apartment to monitor his activities. Seif said he had succeeded in avoiding arrest by being brutally honest about his activities. "We are Syrians meeting for Syria, interested not in revolution or bringing down the regime, but in a peaceful transformation to real democracy. That is what I tell the mukhabarat." He also indicated he was not going out of his way to publicize his activities. For example, he told us that, when asked, he simply asserted he was traveling to Qamishli "to visit friends." ¶10. (C) Seif speculated the SARG's main concern about his foreign travel was potential contact with Western governments and Syrian expat opposition groups. On this point, he was adamant that his priority was to build an indigenous group of Syrians before reaching out to expatriate Syrians. "We,ll meet with Syrian opposition living outside of Syria eventually," he sighed, and explained that the Council would look to external contacts for funding and access to media only after it had solidified its own foundations. ¶11. (C) INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT: Seif made a pitch for the creation of an international fund that would offer financial support to victims of SARG political persecution. With U.S. and European backing, such a fund could offer humanitarian support to current and former jailed dissidents and their families who were finding it difficult to make ends meet. Seif mentioned a former writer he had attempted to recruit who had been too poor to travel by bus from Aleppo to a meeting in Damascus. "Imagine how much good will the U.S. could generate," if Syrians saw a U.S. supported organization helping to feed, clothe and shelter Syrian dissidents scorned by the regime, he said. Seif acknowledged the potential limits of such a fund, especially in light of strong SARG constraints on foreign assistance into the country. But if the government refused international good will, "then let it explain why it can,t provide for its own citizens." ¶12. (C) COMMENT: Though Riad Seif has yet to become the Saad Eddine Ibrahim of Syria, his quiet campaign to stitch together a democracy movement out of the stalled Damascus Declaration appears to be moving forward -- for now -- on the permissible side of SARG red lines. It is not clear the SARG expected any international blowback in response to its refusal of Seif's travel abroad, but its silence in response to the Department's August 15 statement leaves the door open for further efforts to focus international attention on the *********************** * Missing Section 003 * ***********************