SARG ON TRAVEL WARNING, PREPARATIONS FOR KUWAIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000261 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2018 TAGS: ASEC PREL CASC PTER SY SUBJECT: SARG ON TRAVEL WARNING, PREPARATIONS FOR KUWAIT IRAQ NEIGHBORS MEETING REF: STATE 39168 Classified By: CDA Michael Corbin for reasons 1.4(b,d) 1.(C) Summary: In an odd move in response to the Department's latest Syria travel warning, MFA convoked Charge at the office director rather than Chief of Protocol level and appeared to be solicitous as to the safety of Americans in Syria, asking if there was anything specific to share on threats. MFA noted Foreign Minister Muallim was focused on his upcoming travel to Kuwait for the Iraq Neighbors conference, and on what the SARG would say there on Iraq in the absence of a meeting with the U.S. End summary. ¶2. (C) Foreign Minister's office Director Bassam Sabbagh convoked Charge April 20 to discuss the latest travel warning for Syria (REFTEL). Sabbagh said Syrian Ambassador to Washington Imad Moustapha had flagged the travel warning for the Foreign Ministry and that when Sabbagh had shown it to FM Waleed Muallim, the latter had asked Sabbagh to call in Charge to say that Syria had noticed the warning and to ask specifically whether there was any threat or intelligence information that involved threats to the Embassy or U.S. citizens in Syria that could be shared with Syria. Although Bassam went on to suggest that the FM was checking to see if there was simply a political message intended by the travel warning, he insisted that the MFA wanted "to ensure the safety of the Embassy and Americans in Syria." ¶3. (C) Charge responded that the warning reflected threats in Syria and that these had been clearly manifested by the September 12, 2006 attack on the Embassy. He said rising extremism and events in the region caused continuing concerns for all Americans in Syria. He noted Embassy's requests to the SARG for street closures to improve the security of the Chancery which had not been acted upon. Charge also asked for quicker movement on allowing the USG to purchase land in the new diplomatic quarter to enable movement on the long overdue New Embassy Compound (NEC) for Syria. Sabbagh took the Charge's comments on board but provided no substantive reply. Charge promised to pass the Minister's concern to Washington. ¶4. (C) Noting that he would accompany the Foreign Minister the next day to Kuwait for the Iraq Neighbors ministerial, Sabbagh said the SARG was thinking about how to package a message on Iraq for other delegations "since there would be no meeting with the U.S." UK Ambassador told Charge that Sabbagh had also raised Iraq with him in a separate meeting April 20. ¶5. (C) Comment: The MFA approach was extremely odd, given the choice of the office director (the preferred "official" channel for communication of most issues is through the Chief of Protocol) and the lack of a complaint on the tenor of the travel warning. The MFA has little to do with operational security issues, although security cooperation at the working level continues to be good. We will continue to press our requests for enhanced security around the Embassy and for movement on our NEC. End comment. CORBIN