Outreach Program

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000503 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD, ECA WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC CENTCOM FOR CCPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAO OPRC SY SUBJECT: Outreach Program ¶1. (U) Summary. A series of successful embassy outreach efforts may be linked to the Obama Administration's new policy of engagement with Syria. In spite of the American Cultural Center's ongoing "closure," the Embassy in recent weeks planned and executed several outreach programs, in addition to gaining permission to re-open the American Language Center (ALC). Embassy Damascus hosted a successful speaker on stock markets, programmed the Chris Byars Jazz Quartet in Syria's premier cultural venue, and used the recent visit to Damascus by the NEA/ELA Office Director to secure a rare meeting with the Chancellor of Damascus University. End Summary. -------------- If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Prior to the closure of the ACC in November 2008, Ministry of Culture officials repeatedly told PD staff that they "want to see the American Cultural Center resume cultural activities in Damascus." The SARG draws a clear distinction between embassies and cultural centers. Embassies must work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but cultural centers fall under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, which has the authority to grant permission for cultural programs. While the SARG's motives for granting approval for the Embassy to host cultural events despite the ACC's status remain unclear, all of our requests were approved and there has been little interference with cultural activities by the security services. -------------- -------------- Speaker Provides Rare Access to Regime Strongholds -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Syria's new stock market, which opened for trading in March, has been a major topic of discussion for months in Damascus. Against the backdrop of the global financial crisis and SARG public pronouncements that Syria was "not affected" by the global downturn, the arrival of financial expert and U.S. speaker Professor James Angel in Damascus was well timed. Professor Angel began his program with a discussion of stock markets, free market economics and the importance of regulation with Syria's sophisticated business elite. An evening at the exclusive Syria Business Council brought Embassy staff and Syrian businessmen together for a frank discussion of market policies inside Syria. Professor Angel also addressed business students and researchers at Hassan Al-Nouri's Management and Marketing Center. Al-Nouri, a U.S. graduate and former minister, pushed the MFA for permission to host Angel. During the negotiations, he told Embassy staff, "I want to host this speaker more than you do, and if I have to ask Bushra (President Asad's sister) herself for permission, I will." ¶4. (SBU) The capstone of Angel's visit to Damascus was his address at Damascus University's Faculty of Political Science. Angel spoke to a packed auditorium of students and faculty, all of whom were eager and grateful for the opportunity to listen to his lecture. While many student questions betrayed an underlying Ba'athist bias against open markets, there were also sophisticated questions asked about the future of global markets followed by a lively debate. In what may have been another sign of opening, Professor Angel was scheduled to lecture to the student body of private Kalamoon University. Private universities fall under the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and have been off limits to Embassy personnel for a number of years (see para 6). Unfortunately, due to travel problems, Professor Angel was unable to give the lecture. -------------- American Jazz on Stage at the Opera House -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Embassy Damascus switched gears to welcome the Chris Byars Quartet, the first ECA Jazz at Lincoln Center Program performance in several years. The program was an outstanding success; the crown jewel was the Quartet's concert at the Dar al-Asad Opera House. Their performance in the main opera theater to over 600 jazz enthusiasts was historic - it was the first time an American group sponsored by the U.S. Embassy had performed in the Opera Hall. The Quartet also took "master" classes to a new level at the Higher Institute of Music, where they held two days of intensive master classes with students. In a dramatic conclusion to their official program, the Chris Byars Quartet held a jam session in the Marmar Bar in Damascus's picturesque old city. To the delight of the audience, they were joined onstage by students from the master classes. -------------- -------------- Damascus University: Light at the End of the Tunnel? -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Embassy Damascus used the visit of NEA/ELA Office Director Nicole Shampaine as an opportunity to call on Damascus University President Wael Moualla on April 28, 2009. The visit was the first call by an Embassy officer on the head of any Syrian university in three years and was prompted by a call by the Syrian Ambassador to Washington, Imad Mustapha. While the offer of the meeting was itself a breakthrough, and we hope a signal from the SARG that American diplomats can meet with education officials, it remains to be seen whether it will lead to any substantive resumption of relations. The one-hour meeting did, however, give us insights into the university's efforts to internationalize and form linkages with EU and US institutions. NOTE: The Minister of Higher Education Ghiyas Barakat, himself a U.S. graduate, issued in 2006-2007 a series of decrees banning any contact between the employees of Syrian public universities and the American Cultural Center. The ban has been extraordinarily effective in blocking contact or cooperation between the embassy and Syrian universities both public and private. END NOTE ¶7. (SBU) Moualla told us that Damascus University (DU) funds teaching assistants each year to complete their higher studies - 200 in France, 110 in the UK, 70 in Germany, but only two to the U.S. He attributed the paucity of teachers going to the U.S. to "political relations, visa issues, etc." and blamed U.S. sanctions and Department travel warnings for discouraging American institutions from partnering with Damascus University. He noted that DU has a capacity-building program in partnership with the British Council which facilitates admission to and fee reductions at British universities, as well as a similar one with the French. He expressed his desire to establish a more formal process for sending teaching assistants to the States and said that he had discussed this with the Center for the Study of the Presidency when their delegation visited DU recently. He also told us that Middlebury College had approached the university some years ago but that the USG had apparently discouraged them from any relationship. [COMMENT: Post is familiar with the details of the Middlebury attempt; it foundered on corruption and management-related issues, not sanctions.] ¶9. (SBU) Dr. Moualla spoke proudly about the approximately 50 American students who are currently studying Arabic at DU, among them participants in the Flagship and the CASA programs. He was clearly aware of the Flagship program's affiliation with the Department of Defense (which funds it through the International Institute of Education) and had no objection to it. He deliberately did not mention the many obstacles which the Ministry of Higher Education had thrown up against the long-standing Fulbright program which we sponsor, nor did we raise that delicate issue. ¶10. (SBU) The meeting ended cordially; PAO followed up on Moualla's enthusiasm for the IV program by presenting him with a list of next year's programs and inviting him to nominate candidates for them. We also encouraged him to reach out to our Cultural Specialist, with whom the University has a long standing relationship. Moualla was polite but non-committal. It is not yet clear whether the visit was merely a public relations gesture spurred by the call from Ambassador Moustafa or whether it will lead to a relaxation in the MOHE's ban on contact with the Embassy, which has had considerable impact on our relationships in the education field. Several weeks after the meeting, there has been no additional contact between DU and the Embassy. -------------- American Language Center Re-Opens its Doors -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Finally, after months of ambiguity, the American Language Center enthusiastically reopened its doors to Syrian students on May ¶11. The ALC is one of the leading English language centers in Syria and an important outreach tool. In March, we informed the MFA of our intention to reopen the ALC as of May 1 and the SARG responded positively. In the ensuing weeks, Embassy staff coordinated with the ALC to promote the center's re-opening on our website and Facebook site. The result: 1,400 students registered for the first of three terms for the remainder of CY 2009. (At the time of closure, 2000 students had been enrolled.) ¶12. (SBU) Comment. There have been tangible benefits for key outreach programs as the U.S. has begun to slowly re-engage with the SARG. While the SARG has been careful not to link our re-engagement to permissions for cultural programming or the re-opening of the ALC, there is no doubt that recent positive overtures from Washington have given those officials who want to see more cultural activity from the U.S. the cover they need to grant permission. MAXWELL