VZCZCXYZ0067
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #1366/01 0871257
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 281257Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7952
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 5846
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3727
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2216
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 6937
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0858
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4301
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0528
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6671

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 001366 
 
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: Arab Summit, Lebanon, Iraq, 
Syria/PLO (3/28) 
 
¶1. Summary: Syrian papers focused on the 18th Arab summit that 
will be inaugurated in Khartoum today. All papers reported 
President Asad's arrival in Khartoum to participate in the summit 
and featured photos of his meetings with Sudanese President Al- 
Bashir, Lebanese President Lahoud and Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al- 
Jaber al-Sabah of Kuwait. 
 
Papers also reported meetings held by Foreign Minister Walid al- 
Mouallem in Khartoum on the sidelines of the summit with Cypriot 
Foreign Minister George Iacovou and with his Cuban counterpart 
Felipe Perz Roque. 
 
Papers also cited a statement by Lebanese Ex-Premier Salim al- 
Hoss to the Sudanese News Agency [SUNA] calling upon the Arab 
Summit to support Syria politically and economically to face US 
and Israeli pressure on Syria.  Al-Hoss indicated that "a 
Zionist and imperialist project to dismantle the Arab world has 
started in Iraq," that "the U.S. is practicing terrorism in the 
world," that "it is against democracy," and that "its rejection 
of the results of the Palestinian elections is clear evidence." 
 
Papers also reported Minister of information Dr. Mohsen Bilal's 
meeting with Farouk Qaddoumi, Head of the PLO Political 
Department, which focused on bilateral relations, the situation 
in the region and developments in the occupied Palestinian 
territories. 
 
End of summary. 
 
 
¶2. Selected Headlines: 
 
"President Asad discusses with his Lebanese counterpart Emile 
Lahoud and Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad, the Emir of Kuwait, latest 
developments in the region and issues on the agenda of the 
summit" (Government-owned Tishreen, 3/28) 
 
"Foreign Minister al-Muallem: All are waiting for important 
decisions; we notice an increasing awareness of the dangers 
created by challenges" (Government-owned Tishreen, 3/28) 
 
"Dr. Mohsen Bilal [Minister of Information]: Syria works hard to 
make the Arab summit a success" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 3/28) 
 
"Information Minister Dr. Bilal reviews with Farouk Qaddoumi, 
Chairman of the PLO Political Department, the latest developments 
and receives German Ambassador in Damascus" (Government-owned Al- 
Thawra, 3/28) 
 
"Former Lebanese Prime Minister al-Hoss calls on the Arab summit 
to support Syria in the face of American and Israeli pressure" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 3/28) 
 
"Over 40 Iraqis killed, 30 injured in an attack on an American 
station in Mosel" (Government-owned Tishreen 3/28) 
 
"The final sessions of the Lebanese national dialogue postponed 
until Monday. Lebanese President Lahoud: Syria is being pressured 
because of its national stances. Leaders of the Lebanese 
Democratic Party, Arsalan, and the Unionist Party, Murad: Israel 
is the only enemy for Lebanon" (Government-owned Tishreen, 3/28) 
 
¶3. Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
"The Khartoum Summit, Desired Goals" 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
An unsigned editorial in government-owned Al-Ba'th on (3/28) 
read: "Arab leaders meet in their Khartoum summit amid extremely 
serious and complicated circumstances and challenges.... 
 
"We might not be exaggerating if we say that the Arab leaders 
never met while the Arab situation was as bad as it is today, 
 
when dangers and disasters threaten all Arabs. Those who believe 
they are outside the circle of danger or claim they are not 
targeted by the pressure or will be safe from it in the future 
are wrong. The Arab nation can confront these challenges and 
dangers only through common Arab action and solidarity. Arab 
countries are not required to mobilize their armies and go to 
war, but they should not deal with developments, plans, and the 
policies of the superpowers as if they were fate. They should 
deal with them using the logic that takes into consideration 
national interests and legitimate rights of Arabs as guaranteed 
by international laws and conventions." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
"The Preliminary Results of the Lebanese Dialogue: Victory for 
the Resistance Policy and Relationship with Syria, a Blow to the 
Plot of 1559" 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
Hasan Hardan, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (3/28): "Meetings of the Lebanese dialogue that were 
held in the parliament produced important results in every sense 
of the word.... 
 
"The recognition of Lebanon's ownership of Shebaa Farms 
constitutes a retreat for the 14 February team, led by Druze 
member of parliament Walid Jumblatt. Jumblatt had cast doubt on 
Lebanon's ownership of the farms and sought to align himself 
with the US-French demand to strip the resistance of legitimacy 
and disarm it, on the ground that no more Lebanese land is 
occupied. This recognition also constituted a victory for the 
policy of resistance.... 
 
"On the other hand, this recognition is a painful blow to the US- 
French alliance and, behind it, Israel. It brings down one of 
the most important provisions of Resolution 1559, that aims to 
disarm the resistance.... 
 
"The assertion of the need to establish outstanding relations 
with Syria is a clear sign of a reversal of the stand that was 
taken by the 14 February team.... 
 
"Regardless of whether this shift in the stand of the 14 
February team was a result of a change in the domestic, regional 
and world equation, failure to bring the coup in Lebanon to a 
conclusion, or pressure by leading economic figures and popular 
sectors that suffered huge damage as a result of the provocative 
racist campaign against Syria, the shift is a victory for the 
policy of distinguished relations between Syria and Lebanon.... 
 
"It also shows that the resistance, which liberated most of the 
occupied Lebanese territories in the absence of unanimity among 
the Lebanese, is now drawing closer to achieving consensus on 
continuation of its efforts to liberate the remaining occupied 
land and prisoners who are held in the jails of the occupation 
authorities. 
 
"This near consensus will necessarily trouble the United States 
and Israel a great deal. Both the United States and Israel had 
expected Resolution 1559 to trigger conflict in Lebanon. 
However, they reaped contrary results, in the form of rallying 
around the legitimacy of the resistance more than ever before. 
The collective recognition of Lebanon's ownership of Shebaa 
Farms represents the groundwork for this legitimacy." 
 
Seche