VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0668/01 0471216
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 161216Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7178
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 5798
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3691
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2158
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 6917
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0800
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4275
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0507
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6654

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000668 
 
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: Al-Hariri Assassination 
Anniversary, British Abuse Video, HAMAS, Iran (2/15) 
 
¶1.  Summary: Syrian papers reported a mass rally by Syrians in 
occupied Golan observing the 24th anniversary of the 1982 strike, 
called by the sons of occupied Golan to reject Israel's 
annexation of the Golan and impose an Israeli identity on its 
sons. Speakers emphasized that they stood behind President Asad's 
leadership and rejected the threats and pressure on Syria. They 
denounced the publication of cartoons on the prophet Mohammad in 
Western media under the pretext of freedom of expression. 
Speeches were delivered by Arabs who had been captives in Israeli 
jails, former Lebanese Minister We'am Wahab, and Secretary 
General of the Arab Socialist Movement Ahmed al-Ahmed. 
 
The first anniversary of the Al-Hariri assassination was a lead 
press story. A typical headline in Tishreen read "A rally of 
rancor on Valentine Day. The Al-Hariri anniversary turns into a 
platform to attack Syria. A forum for curses, insults and 
charlatanism is held at the Martyrs Square in Beirut." 
 
Syrian papers also featured a New York Times report confirming a 
US scheme to foil HAMAS and cited a White House report denying 
such a scheme. 
 
End summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian voices join in a celebration 
commemorating the 24th anniversary of the 1982 strike announced 
by the sons of occupied Golan to reject Israel's annexation of 
the Golan" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 1/15) 
 
"Reactions to campaign of misinformation continue. Nasrallah: 
Lebanon is in a state of war with Israel. We will not relinquish 
arms. Lebanese statements: The Shebaa Farms are Lebanese. Those 
who cast doubts about the Lebanese identity of the farms seek to 
legitimize the occupation" (Government-owned Tishreen, 2/15) 
 
"A rally of rancor on Valentine Day. The Al-Hariri anniversary 
turns into a platform to attack Syria. A forum for curses, 
insults and charlatanism is held in Beirut's Martyrs Square. 
Rancorous trade on Al-Hariri blood, impingement upon pan-Arab 
principles, and national resistance" (Government-owned Tishreen, 
2/15) 
 
"Israel endeavors to drag Lebanon into civil strife" (Government- 
owned Tishreen, 2/15) 
 
"New York Time confirms and Washington denies a US scheme to foil 
HAMAS. Mofaz is determined to proceed with the policy of 
assassinations. Occupation forces continue shelling" (Government- 
owned Tishreen, 2/15) 
 
"Spain endeavors to promote an 'alliance of civilizations'. The 
EU and Washington continue to defend Denmark. 57 Islamic 
countries propose a draft UNSC resolution banning insults of 
sanctities" (Government-owned Tishreen, 2/15) 
 
"Six US soldiers killed or injured in Baghdad. Basra boycotts 
British forces and calls for pulling out Danish forces" 
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/15) 
 
"A joint Russian-French proclamation on security and terrorism 
issues. Iran is called upon to fully abide by its commitments" 
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/15) 
 
 ¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
------------------------------- 
 
"A Student Outdoing his Master" 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
Isam Dari, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (2/15): "Syria was the party most harmed by Al- 
Hariri's assassination.... For a full year Syria has been, and 
still is, the target of unprecedented campaigns of pressure, 
accusations, lies, and threats against the background of the 
heinous crime.... This means that those who killed Al-Hariri 
basically targeted Syria and wanted to take revenge against it 
and force it to change its conduct.... 
"Countries, organizations, and figures joined Washington in its 
campaign of pressure and accusations against Syria. These 
accusations were based on lies, fabrications, and deception.... 
 
"A Lebanese group claiming to be a majority in the parliament 
has outdone its master in lying. If Iraq's invasion was based on 
forged intelligence information -- and this information is from 
the Americans, not from us -- the 'heroes' of hostility toward 
Syria outdid their American masters at slyness, malice, and 
lying. They took the initiative upon themselves. Not only did 
they direct accusations to Syria immediately after every crime 
committed in Lebanon, but they also fabricated false witnesses 
and presented them on a golden platter to the international 
investigation commission.... The truth will come out; the masks 
will fall off. And the conspiracy will be foiled...." 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
 
"The First Anniversary: Who Killed Al-Hariri?" 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
Salim Abbud, an op-ed in government-owned Al-Thawra, commented 
(2/15): "The March 14th forces in Lebanon are not really 
interested in knowing who assassinated Rafiq al-Hariri.... These 
forces, which were not united before Al-Hariri's assassination, 
got together for three reasons or objectives. Firstly, to trade 
on the Al-Hariri assassination. Secondly, to separate Lebanon 
from its Arabism, spoil its relationship with Damascus, and 
reject every Arab effort to heal the rift between Syria and 
Lebanon and search for the truth calmly and with an open mind by 
asking the necessary questions to reach the real killer, because 
the aim of the real killer was to cause the earthquake that the 
assassination brought about. Thirdly, to get Lebanon involved in 
the American-Israeli scheme, which seeks to draft a new map for 
the region, pressure and besiege Syria, revive the May 17th 
agreement with Israel, and disarm the resistance, which defeated 
Israel in the south...." 
 
------------------- 
"Twisted Alignment" 
 
------------------- 
 
Omar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (2/15): "At the time Israel continues its assaults 
against south Lebanon and Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese 
airspace, some Lebanese who volunteered to promote the Israeli- 
American plan launch provocative statements against the Lebanese 
resistance.... Aren't those who want to disarm the resistance, 
which liberated south Lebanon in 2000 and which is responding to 
the Israeli aggression and standing as a strong barrier in the 
face of Israeli treachery, placing themselves in the service of 
the American-Israeli plan? Aren't those who say the Israeli 
withdrawal from the south was complete in accordance with 
Resolution 425 and that there is no longer a need for the 
national resistance, confirming their alliance with the 
objectives, goals, and intentions of Lebanon's enemies....? 
 
"The suspicious connections of these Lebanese have been 
exposed.... Israel was and still is Lebanon's number one enemy 
and the main instigator for chaos, evil, and tension in the 
region. The attempts to promote its prejudiced plans will fail, 
as its occupation of Lebanese territory failed. And these people 
will not be served by their impingement upon the national and 
pan-Arab choices of the Lebanese people." 
 
 
 
 
---------------------- 
 
"A Barbaric Viewpoint" 
---------------------- 
Bassam Radwan, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (2/15): "If the barbaric and horrendous scene of 
British occupation troops in Iraq beating, kicking, and clubbing 
civilian and defenseless Iraqis in a manner that reflects 
abhorrent and heinous sadism is not surprising, what is really 
surprising, to the point of shock, is the comment made by 
British Prime Minister Tony Blair on this crime and similar 
crimes of occupation, whether in Iraq or Palestine.... 
 
"The strange irony here is that within the context of these 
facts and photos, which seem to have been taken by someone who 
takes pleasure in torturing and brutalizing young Iraqis, the 
British prime minister, in an attempt to mitigate the effect of 
the shock, stressed that what the world had seen was an 
individual incident and that his troops, which participated in 
the occupation of Iraq to promote freedom and democracy, enjoy a 
sense of responsibility and observe a straightforward code of 
conduct as occupying forces subject to international law. 
 
"There is no doubt that this episode clearly proves one thing; 
namely, that the nature of occupation is the same everywhere in 
terms of its conduct, method, and style of injustice and 
oppression of the people under occupation, regardless of whether 
this occupation is under the umbrella of the absent 
international law, outside this framework, or somewhere in 
between.  The misleading and ridiculous talk about the mission 
of the US and British occupation troops in spreading the values 
of freedom and democracy in Iraq has been exposed as a lie by 
the photos of the British troops and dozen of other photos by 
their US counterparts.  The moral and humanitarian claims of the 
neocolonialists no longer fool anybody." 
 
------------------ 
 
"Storming Scandal" 
 
------------------ 
 
Ali Qasim, an editorialist in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote 
(2/15):  "The British soldiers who were engaged in disgusting 
sadism against Iraqi teenagers will most likely receive light 
punishments while their commanders remain immune, as happened in 
similar previous cases.... 
 
"Perhaps statements by the British PM Blair bring to mind 
statements made by American officials after the Abu Ghraib 
scandal. The inquiry he promised to conduct will not be better 
than the inquiry that the Americans conducted. The sentences 
against those who were involved in the shameless acts will not 
be harsher than those passed against some American soldiers, but 
the hands and minds that were behind those practices will be 
acquitted.... 
 
"The issue is not conduct by some individuals as much as it is a 
systematic policy followed in all ages. The occupier remains the 
same throughout history...." 
 
Seche