DEMARCHE ON SUPPORTING ASPIRATIONS OF THE SYRIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 000054 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/PI SENIOR ADVISOR OWEN KIRBY AND NEA/ELA SYRIA DESK OFFICER ALLISON MONZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2018 TAGS: PREL XF XG KMPI NSC SY EUN TU CA JA SF IN CI, AR SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON SUPPORTING ASPIRATIONS OF THE SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL DELIVERED TO THE GOI REF: SECSTATE 171106 Classified By: A/DCM Ted Osius for reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) A/DCM delivered reftel demarche to MEA Joint Secretary (West Asia and North Africa) M. Manimekalai and SIPDIS Director (WANA) N.J. Gangte on January 7, and expressed USG desire that the GOI make public statements in support of the Syrian democracy and human rights activists who formed the Damascus Declaration National Council and to urge the Syrian Government to release prisoners of conscience, including members of the National Council. ¶2. (C) Gangte acknowledged that his sources inside Syria kept him apprised of the activities of the pro-democracy movement and its challenge to push Syria towards democratic governance and "away from the hereditary, autocratic rule of one family." He said the GOI strove to "keep all lines of communication open," alluding to its policy of avoiding public criticism of any country. Gangte noted that the GOI maintains open channels of communication with the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Syrians. He noted that the Syrian Foreign Minister visited India in 2007, and that in mid-January the Syrian Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Indian Minister of Commerce Kamal Nath would be meeting for a regularly schedule bilateral Joint Commission on Trade. A/DCM stated the USG wish that the GOI would capitalize on its communications with the Government of Syria to nudge it towards a more productive direction. -- GOI PRAISE FOR ANNAPOLIS CONFERENCE -- ¶3. (C) Separately, Manimekalai praised the Bush administration for instigating and organizing the Annapolis conference, calling it "an important development," and cited as a positive sign that the USG was successful in getting so many of the key players to sit down and talk to one another, adding that the international community must keep the momentum going on Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and reconciliation. WHITE