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Viewing cable 06DAMASCUS1460, Damascus Media Reaction: Syria/Iraq, Syria/Italy,

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06DAMASCUS1460 2006-04-02 13:27 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Damascus
VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #1460/01 0921327
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021327Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8052
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 5853
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3734
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2223
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 6944
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0866
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4308
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0535
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6680
UNCLAS DAMASCUS 001460 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/S:STHIBEAULT AND 
JMCCARTER, VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, DBENZE AND 
AFERNANDEZ, IIP/G/NEA-SA RWINCHESTER 
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC 
CENTCOM FOR CCPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY
SUBJECT: Damascus Media Reaction: Syria/Iraq, Syria/Italy, 
Syria/Malaysia, Israel/Palestinians, Lebanon, Rice (3/30-4/2) 
 
 
1.  Summary: Syrian papers reported Vice President Shara's 
meeting with a delegation representing the Iraqi Islamic Party. 
Headlines featured Shara's statement expressing the importance 
of maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and forming a 
government of national unity, and rejection of attempts to drive 
a wedge among sons of one homeland. 
 
Syrian papers also reported that Romano Prodi, President of the 
Central Left Coalition in Italy, intends to cooperate 
effectively with the Syrian leadership if his coalition wins in 
the upcoming elections, underlining Syria's importance and 
effective role in the Middle East. 
 
Syrian papers featured a televised interview with Dr. Mohsen 
Bilal, Minister of Information, who said that "Syria enjoys all 
factors of strength and invincibility and is capable of resisting 
the pressures which aim at isolating it. Regarding the situation 
in Iraq, the minister underlined that "the occupation of Iraq 
comes within a larger project that aims at drowning the region in 
so-called creative chaos and at instigating civil war and 
sectarian division to partition the region, to make it easier to 
loots its resources. On Lebanon, the minister said that "Lebanon 
would remain Syria's twin brother and it is in the interests of 
both countries to have distinguished relations." 
 
End of summary. 
 
2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Vice President Shara meets a delegation from the Iraqi Islamic 
Party and reiterates the importance of maintaining Iraq's 
territorial integrity and forming a national government" 
(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 3/30) 
 
"President Asad reviews with a delegation of Malaysian experts 
mechanisms of administrative, economic and institutional reform" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2) 
 
"Hailing the reform steps in Syria, President of the Central Left 
Coalition in Italy Prodi: Syria's role in the Middle East is 
constructive and fruitful" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2) 
 
"Berri, Speaker of Lebanese Parliament, accuses the Parliamentary 
majority of working to foil the national dialogue. Oun calls on 
the government to shoulder its responsibilities or resign. A 
number of MPs express satisfaction over President Lahoud's 
stances" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2) 
 
"Information Minister Bilal: Syria will not open its doors to any 
party that opposes the Lebanese resistance" (Government-owned Al- 
Thawra, 4/2) 
 
 
 
"Extensive discontent over the stance of the 'March 14' powers, 
who assailed the President and the Lebanese resistance. Lahoud: 
They have joined suspicious projects; they are obstructing all 
attempts to achieve reconciliation and construction. Finish 
[Minister of Electricity]: The resistance is the greater 
achievement. Franjieh [former MP]: No one can fool the Lebanese 
People. Murad [former MP]: No early parliamentary elections. Sa'd 
[Lebanese MP]: Why don't they resign?" (Government-owned Tishreen 
4/1) 
 
"Tension prevails in Lebanon over PM Al-Saniora's statement in 
Khartoum about the resistance. Nasrallah [SecGen of Hizbollah]: 
We will cut the hand of the one who tries to disarm the 
resistance " (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 3/30) 
 
"At least three Palestinians killed, 36 wounded following the 
martyrdom operation in the Kadomim settlement" (Government-owned 
Tishreen, 4/1) 
 
"Palestinian Prime Minister Haniyyah calls for calm and 
withdrawal of all armed forces from Gaza streets" (Government- 
owned Al-Thawra, 4/2) 
 
"An information source denies any tense meeting between President 
Asad and Palestinian President Abbas, saying that talks in 
Khartoum were very cordial. Palestinians commemorate Land Day. 
Mashal: Hamas insists on its platform" (Government-owned Al- 
Thawra, 3/30) 
"Rice is received with anti-war demonstrations in Britain" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/1) 
 
"Rice acknowledges that the US committed thousands of tactical 
mistakes in the war on Irag. Zbigniew Brzezinski [Former US 
President Jimmy Carter's National Security Adviser] offered  Bush 
a plan on pullout from Iraq" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/1) 
 
3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
------------------------------- 
 
"Dissidents s from the Homeland" 
 
------------------------------- 
 
Isam Dari, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote 
(4/1): "It is not unusual to see opposition forces in every 
country in the world, but what is unusual and even disastrous is 
that these forces sometimes seek the help of foreign forces 
against governments and authorities, which represent 
sovereignty, the constitution, and nationalism.... 
 
"Regrettably, our Arab nation has been plagued with such forces, 
which conspire against the homeland and its leaders under the 
pretext of defending the homeland.... 
 
"How can such forces seek the help of a superpower against the 
homeland and come on the back of a US tank to take power.... 
These forces try to distort reality, mislead public opinion, 
and buy consciences.... 
 
"The Arab street knows those who seek the help of foreign forces 
against their homeland and their nation and try to undermine 
national unity in this or that country.... Everybody has the 
right to object to certain policies and positions adopted by 
their governments, because homelands are built by diverse 
opinions.... Any attempt to confiscate dialogue and decision- 
making has nothing to do with democracy...." 
 
------------------------------------- 
 
"A Democracy that Assassinates Peace" 
 
------------------------------------- 
 
Samir al-Shibani, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (4/1): "The United Nations and its resolutions are 
used by the only superpower to dominate the entire world.... 
 
"Criminals who were chased by international courts have turned 
into peace heroes.... The general who committed the Sabra and 
Shatila massacre [in Lebanon] has turned into a brave man of 
peace.... 
 
"Washington and many other world capitals have congratulated 
Olmert on Qadima's victory in the elections, ignoring the fact 
that when he was Mayor of Jerusalem, he changed the historical 
features of the occupied city with the aim of Judaizing it.... 
At the same time, the HAMAS victory in the Palestinian elections 
is viewed by some as a violation of democracy." 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
"The Significance of Kadima's Victory" 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
Ahmad Hamadah, an editorialist in government-owned Al-Thawra, 
 
wrote (3/31): "Israeli Prime Minister Olmert is adopting 
extremist and racist policies and trying to impose a fait 
accompli policy on the Palestinians and the international 
community.... 
 
"The victory scored by the Qadima Party in the recent Israeli 
parliamentary elections shows that Israelis still insist on 
encroaching upon Arab rights and occupying Arab territories.... 
 
"The Israeli public voted for Olmert's plan to demarcate 
Israel's borders unilaterally in conflict international 
legitimacy and the resolutions of the UN Security Council.... 
This victory means that the occupied Arab territories will 
remain under occupation during the next four years because this 
party's plans are based on two key points: 
 
"First, there will be Jewish expansion at the expense of the 
territories of the presumed Palestinian state by annexing the 
major settlements and Jerusalem for alleged demographic reasons 
and by annexing the Jordan Valley for false security reasons. 
Thus, there will be no Palestinian state within the borders that 
existed in June 1967 and no East Jerusalem as a capital of that 
state. 
 
"Second, Kadima will decide the identity of the Israeli entity 
as a Jewish entity at the expense of the Arab Palestinian people 
in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the 1948-occupied land. In 
other words, the results of the elections were the most obvious 
plan to declare war on the Palestinian people's legitimate 
rights and serve the Zionist project." 
 
Seche