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Viewing cable 07DAMASCUS109, Syria/Turkey, Syria/Iraq, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07DAMASCUS109 2007-02-01 14:46 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Damascus
VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0109/01 0321446
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 011446Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2904
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6552
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4324
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2935
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7495
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1548
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4889
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1103
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7227
UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000109 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/R/MR:STHIBEAULT AND 
JMCCARTER, VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, AZAIBACK, AND 
AFERNANDEZ, IIP/G/NEA-SA MDAVIDSON 
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC 
CENTCOM FOR CCPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY
SUBJECT:  Syria/Turkey, Syria/Iraq, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon 
(2/1) 
 
1.  Summary:  Syrian papers on Feb. 1 reported FM Walid Mouallem's 
visit to Turkey on Jan. 31 and his meetings with President Sezer and 
PM Erdogan to convey two messages from President Asad on the latest 
developments in the region.  Mouallem also held talks with Turkish 
FM Abdullah Gul on bilateral relations, the latest developments in 
the region, particularly in Iraq and Palestine, and the role that 
Turkey would play in mobilizing efforts to reach a solution leading 
to stability and security in the region.  The two sides reiterated 
the importance of maintaining Iraq's independence and territorial 
integrity and stressed the role that Iraq's neighboring countries 
could play achieving stability and security, pointing to the 
necessity of ending sedition and realizing national reconciliation 
among Iraqi factions.  They also underlined the necessity of 
dissolving militias and building an Iraqi army on a national basis, 
as well setting a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops. 
On the Palestinian issue, Mouallem and Gul expressed support for 
efforts to stop Palestinian in-fighting and to form a Palestinian 
national unity government. 
 
On Syrian/Iraqi relations, papers reported Vice President Shara's 
meeting on Jan. 31 with Sheikh Harith al-Dari, Chairman of the Iraqi 
Association of Muslim Scholars.  Shara reiterated the importance of 
achieving national reconciliation and of the participation of all 
Iraqis in the political process.  In a statement to reporters after 
the meeting, Sheikh Al-Dari praised Syria's support of Iraqis who 
escaped from Iraq after the US occupation.  Al-Dari added:  "Syria's 
positions are declared. It rejected the occupation before and after 
it took place.  It is against terrorism, but it does not reject 
resistance, because resistance is a legitimate right.  We 
appreciated these positions, which placed Syria ahead of others." 
 
Papers also featured a statement by the Transport Ministry on Jan. 
31 denying media reports of the suspension of landing rights for 
Iraqi airplanes in Syrian airports.  "The ministry has not made any 
decision to suspend Iraqi airplanes' landing in Syrian airports; 
but the procedure comes within an arrangement to organize landing 
requests and give Syrian Civil Aviation Authorities the appropriate 
time for arranging landing procedures in Syrian airports," Minister 
of Transport Yarob Badr told a SANA reporter.  The minister 
clarified that the Iraqi Airlines' Agent in Damascus has undertaken 
not to send any Iraqi airplane into Syria before obtaining formal 
permission from the civil aviation authorities.  "It is a guarantee 
the Iraqi side should be committed to within the framework of the 
Syrian-Iraqi agreement," he added.  Badr pointed out that the 
Ministry had sent, through the Foreign Ministry, a letter to the 
Iraqi Embassy in Damascus about what the Syrian and the Iraqi sides 
have agreed upon. 
 
End of summary. 
 
2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"President Asad sends two messages, to Turkish President Sezer and 
Prime Minister Erdogan, on the latest developments in the region. 
Mouallem reviews bilateral relations with Turkish FM Gul.  Mouallem 
and Gul reiterate the importance of maintaining Iraq's unity, 
building a national army and scheduling US withdrawal from Iraq" 
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/1) 
 
"Vice-President Farouk Shara discusses the latest developments in 
Iraq with Harith al-Dari, Head of Iraq's Muslim Scholars 
Association.  Shara:  Participation of all Iraqis in the political 
process is the main guarantee of unity and ending foreign presence 
in Iraq" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/1) 
 
"Ministry of Transport:  Syrian airports did not suspend landing of 
Iraqi flights, but the procedure comes within the framework of a 
Syrian-Iraqi agreement" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/1) 
 
"US losses increase in Iraq.  Scandals of corruption in Iraq corner 
US President Bush.  Pellosi:  The situation is catastrophic in Iraq" 
(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 2/1) 
 
"A new route for the racist wall swallows lands of Ramallah.  US 
security support for Palestinian sedition" (Government-owned 
Tishreen, 2/1) 
 
 
"Calm returns to the Gaza Strip.  Hamas warns against US aid for the 
Palestinian President's security" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/1) 
 
"Former Lebanese MP Talal Arslan:  The Authority's Militias will not 
prevent the opposition from acting" 
 
3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
---------------------- 
 
"Prejudiced Democracy" 
 
---------------------- 
 
Khalid al-Ashhab, an editorialist in government-owned Al-Thawrah, 
wrote (2/1):  "Americans came to establish democracy in Iraq but 
ended up destroying the country and killing hundreds of thousands of 
Iraqis.... 
 
"And here are Americans today continuing their 'jihad' for the sake 
of democracy in Iraq by finalizing the destruction of the country, 
killing its people, and dividing it into groups, sects, and 
ethnicities.... 
 
"In Lebanon, Americans mislead the street with a package of 
conspiracies and lies and a series of programmed political 
assassinations that began with Rafiq al-Hariri, and they brought 
their choice to power there, a choice that impoverished people and 
led Lebanon into the unknown.... 
 
"And when the results of Palestinian democracy turned out contrary 
to their expectations, Americans turned against the Palestinian 
people and the ballot boxes.... 
 
"Now, for Lebanon, American democracy means that Fu'ad al-Saniora 
should barricade himself in Government House and turn his back on 
the huge protests in the Lebanese street.... 
 
"Even in the United States itself, President Bush does not seem to 
see the Democratic majority as a genuine democracy...." 
 
----------------------------- 
 
"It Is an Arab Responsibility" 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Umar Jaftali, a commentator in government-owned Tishrin, wrote 
(2/1):  "Statements of denunciation are no longer useful in 
explaining just causes and points of view.  There must be effective 
Arab action that goes beyond statements of condemnation and 
denunciation to defend Arab causes in the international arena.... 
 
"Why don't Arabs prepare files on Israel's crimes against 
Palestinians to present to the world?  Why don't they raise the 
issue of Israel's use of uranium-based bombs in Lebanon?  Why don't 
they activate an Arab boycott in Israel? 
 
"There is an urgent need for a real Arab awakening before it is too 
late...." 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
"Will Some Arabs Throw a Lifeline to Israel? 
Arabs at a Strategic Crossroads in the Upcoming 
Arab Summit" 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
Dr. Mahdi Dakhlallah, former Minister of Information, commented in 
government-owned Tishrin on (2/1):  "Israel is working to weaken 
Arabs through its attempt to divert Arabs' attention from the 
Arab-Israeli conflict to the so-called Iranian nuclear threat.... 
 
"While some serious Israeli writers are expressing concern over 
 
Israel's fate, some Arabs are searching for an illusionary 
contradiction in the region, thus throwing a lifeline to Israel.... 
 
"The Arab summit in March will be a test for the strategic 
crossroads that Arabs and the region have reached today.  It is 
perhaps the most important crossroads in contemporary and modern 
Arab history.... 
"In all the past stages, there was a strategic accord among all 
Arabs about opposition to the Zionist plan, regardless of the weak 
commitment to this accord by some Arab countries and forces....  The 
Beirut summit underlined this strategic accord on the priority of 
the Arab-Zionist conflict.  What will the next summit say?" 
 
Corbin