OPTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO SARG ORDER TO CLOSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAMASCUS 000758

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR S/ES-O, M FOR ALFORD, NEA/FO, NEA/EX, NEA/ELA
NSC FOR ABRAMS
PARIS FOR WALLER
LONDON FOR TSOU
SOCOM FOR POLAD PIERCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2018
TAGS: PREL ASEC APER AFIN PGOV SY
SUBJECT: OPTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO SARG ORDER TO CLOSE
AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER AND AMERICAN SCHOOL

REF: A. DAMASCUS 741

B. DAMASCUS 744

C. DAMASCUS 745

D. DAMASCUS 755

E. DAMASCUS 756

Classified By: CDA Maura Connelly for reasons 1.5 b and d.


1. (SBU) This is an action request, see para 11.


2. (C) Begin Summary: At 1500 local today, Post received
official verbal notification from MFA Chief of Protocol Abdul
Latif Dabbagh of the SARG's order to close the American
Cultural Center (ACC) immediately and to close the American
School (DCS) as of November 6. Dabbagh informed us there
would be no written notification. We defer to L on the
SARG's legal authority to take these steps and whether we
have legal grounds to ignore or protest. The DCS School
Board unanimously voted today to issue a statement notifying
parents and staff of its decision to comply with the SARG's
order to close its doors as of November 6. Diplomatic
community reps (with other Embassies in the lead) and Syrian
elites plan to push the SARG to reverse its decision (and at
least to allow students to finish the semester.) Meanwhile,
the DCS will be closed October 30 to avoid any spill-over of
the planned protest in downtown Damascus. On ACC closure, we
believe that we have a strong justification for Embassy
personnel to work in the PD-Commercial-HR-Med-Ag building
(otherwise known as the ACC or the PD-building located
roughly 50 meters west of the main Embassy complex),so long
as we limit or discontinue public or access to at least some
"Cultural Center" activities. In the end, the SARG may force
the closure of the American Language Center, which is located
in a third facility directly adjacent to main Embassy
compound. ALC closure would have significant legal and
financial consequences. Embassy requests and appreciates
Department guidance. End Summary

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MFA Protocol Formally Delivers SARG Response
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2. (C) After initially canceling a meeting scheduled for
1330, MFA Protocol Chief Dabbagh convoked CDA (who was
meeting with the French Ambassador) to appear at 1500.
Fidgeting uncomfortably, Dabbagh delivered the MFA's
notification of yesterday's Council of Minister's decision to
order the closure of the American Cultural Center and
Damascus Community School, known locally as the American
school. The ACC's closure was effective immediately; out of
recognition for the need of parents and students to find
alternative education arrangements, the SARG gave the DCS
until November 6 to comply.


3. (C) Charge asked whether the SARG would be transmitting
the order in writing. "No," Dabbagh replied, "this is it."
Charge responded that this practice seemed odd, given
standard protocol practices and the SARG's insistence on
receiving all diplomatic requests in writing. Dabbagh
remained silent.


4. (C) Charge sought clarification on the SARG's definition
of the "American Cultural Center." Straining, Dabbaugh
asked, "well, isn't that what you call it?" Charge explained
the ACC was part of the Embassy, staffed by diplomatically
accredited U.S. personnel, and was comprised of several
elements of which some were co-located with other Embassy
offices, such as the Human Resources Section, the Medical
Office, the Community Liaison Office, the Commercial Section,
the Agricultural Department representative, and
Political-Economic Section locally employed staff. The ACC
functioned on a different legal basis than that of other
cultural institutes because of the integration of the U.S.
Information Service into the State Department. Closing the
ACC would not be as easy as closing the Goethe Institute, for
example. Was the SARG ordering the Embassy to close part of
its diplomatic operations?. Did it believe it had the
international legal authority to do so? asked CDA.

DAMASCUS 00000758 002 OF 003




5. (C) Those are your words, not mine, retorted Dabbaugh.
The Council of Ministers had specified the closure of the
American Cultural Center, and the U.S. Embassy "knew what
this meant." CDA responded the MFA needed to clarify whether
the SARG was ordering the U.S. to close part of its embassy.
"This is the first I've heard of this," Dabbaugh replied.
Charge explained the ACC is comprised of two facilities, one
called the American Cultural Center, which includes Public
Diplomacy, Commercial, Agricultural, Human Resources,
Medical, and Pol-Econ offices. The other facility is the
American Language Center, an English teaching program attend
by 9,000 Syrians a year. This program is located adjacent to
the main Embassy compound and falls under the supervision of
the PAO, who is a fully accredited U.S. diplomat.


6. (C) Flummoxed, Dabbaugh excused himself to make a phone
call. Five minutes later he returned. "The American
Cultural Center is not considered part of the Embassy. It
includes both the American Language School and the American
Cultural Center." Cutting off Charge's follow-up, Dabbaugh
said, "the decision is final."


7. (C) Charge then sought Dabbaugh's cooperation in
facilitating an airport visa for the upcoming visit of the
regional psychiatrist. "Send me a note verbale," requested
Dabbaugh, who appeared to appreciate the irony of the remark.
Charge also informed Dabbaugh the Embassy would be sending a
note requesting the MFA's assurance of host country security
support during the scheduled October 30 protest in downtown
Damascus. "Of course," Dabbaugh replied.

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Assessing Options
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8. (C) American School: The DCS School Board decided today
without any dissent to issue a public statement expressing
total compliance (and has done so.) The prevailing sense
during discussion was that the SARG's willingness to give DCS
until November 6 to comply was a direct reaction to the
protests of the diplomatic reps during Deputy FM Miqdad's
briefings to local ambassadors earlier in the day (ref f).
International community and local Syrian elites with kids in
the school also have lobbied against the cabinet's decision.
While most board members judged SARG policy to be a
reflection of genuine public outrage and believed the SARG
had to respond, there was some hope that the SARG might be
willing to exercise more flexibility after the current crisis
settles. Board members plan another meeting November 2 to
take stock and discuss how diplomats and Syrian parents can
seek to overturn or at least mitigate the effects of the
decision. There is a short period during which parents may
wait to see what happens, but the school will lose students
very quickly to other options. There is a virtual school
program that may tide students over in the near-term, but we
need to develop mid- and long-term options to control
mounting anxiety for Embassy employees and their dependents
and give due consideration to the financial consequences for
the school.


9. (C) American Cultural Center: Deferring to L on legal
considerations, the Country Team's view is that the ACC is
part of the Mission. By virtue of its stand-alone location,
the American Language Center represents the most obvious
exception from the SARG's perspective. We see a range of
progressively restrictive options to respond to the SARG's
notification, from defiance to complete compliance:

(a) Ignore or protest the order. Doing so could well prompt
Syrian police to close the ALC facility and ACC building
(which houses many other offices),or potentially encourage
protesters to disrupt operations in both locations.

(b) Since the SARG appears focused on the language program
(ALC),we could shut down this program only. Closing the
language program is legally and financially complex, since
the ALC is administered under a $1.6 million cooperative

DAMASCUS 00000758 003 OF 003


agreement between the Embassy and Amideast HQ in Washington.
Limiting the Embassy's compliance to this step only may only
irritate the SARG, however, because the other building (the
ACC) is clearly marked as the American Cultural Center.

(c) Close ALC and one or more of the cultural affairs-related
offices located in the ACC. We could close, for example, the
Information Resource Center (whose principal function is to
provide internet access to the public). This option alone
would not completely stop the flow of Syrian public traffic
into the building, who include clients of the Education
Advising and Testing office and other PD functions, such as
the weekly movie night, occasional public lectures and
presentations by visiting speakers, and special PD events
(e.g., elections night.)

(d) Close ALC and all PD activities that take place in the
ACC. This option would suspend virtually all Syrian public
access to the ACC building. It is possible the PD and other
Embassy could continue to work in the ACC building, and but
PD staff could continue to administer exchange programs.

(e) Complete Compliance -- Close the ALC facility and entire
ACC building. This would end all PD functions in the ACC,
and force us to move Embassy staff (including Press, as well
as MED, HR, CLO, Pol-Econ, and Commercial employees)
elsewhere. We would be hard-pressed to find suitable
alternative space on our already cramped main compound.


10. (C) Of these options, if we cannot select option (a) or
(b) -- and in both cases, we need L's guidance -- then option
(c) or (d) would preserve at least PD programming and
continued used of the ACC building by other offices. Option
(c) allows us some plausible deniability and might permit us
to avoid option (e),in that the SARG does not appear to
understand fully what our ACC does. Option (d) would be
detrimental to PD outreach programs but the safest for our
Syrian clientele.


11. (C) Action requests: (1) Embassy requests and
appreciates timely Department guidance in developing a set of
education options for Embassy employees whose dependents will
lose the DCS on November 6; (2) We appreciate Department's
assessment and guidance on options (a) through (e) above, as
well as any other possibilities that might be worth
consideration.
CONNELLY