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O 130553Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8292
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 5875
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3753
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2252
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 6963
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0893
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4330
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0557
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6700

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 001667 
 
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/Iran, Syria/Iraq, 
Syria/HAMAS, Israel/Palestinians/EU Aid, Lebanon (4/12) 
 
¶1. Summary:  Syrian papers today reported that Ayatollah Ali 
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Iranian Expediency 
Council, will arrive in Damascus today on a formal visit of a few 
days. 
 
Papers also reported that President Asad chaired a cabinet 
meeting during which he discussed mechanisms of cooperation 
between the Ministries of Information and Foreign Affairs, and 
holding annual meetings of Syrian ambassadors. 
 
On Syrian-Iraqi relations, papers reported shipment of Syrian 
humanitarian aid to the Iraqi capital as a gift from the Syrian 
people, the Syrian Red Crescent and the Dutch Red Cross to the 
Iraqi people. The caravan carried tents, medicine and other 
required supplies. Chairman of the Syrian Red Crescent 
Organization, Abdulrahman al-Attar, said that additional medicine 
and medical equipment will be sent to Iraq next week, and that 
1500 tons of aid will be sent in cooperation with the Greek 
Friends Assembly during the next couple of weeks. 
 
Papers also featured a meeting between Vice President Shara and 
Khaled Meshal, Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau. Meshal briefed 
Shara on the outcome of his tour to Arab and foreign countries, 
which focused on the importance of respecting the Palestinian 
people's choices and enhancing their national unity to realize 
their legitimate aspirations of establishing a sovereign 
Palestinian state with Jerusalem as a capital and realizing their 
legitimate right of return. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Vice President Shara reviews with Khaled Meshal, Head of Hamas 
Political Bureau, recent developments in the Palestinian arena 
and Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/12) 
 
"A shipment of Syrian humanitarian aid is dispatched to Iraq" 
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 4/12) 
 
"Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of Iranian 
Expediency Council, is to visit Syria today" (Government-owned Al- 
Ba'th, 4/12) 
 
"Iran ends Uranium enrichment work. Ahmadinejad: Iran joins the 
club of countries possessing nuclear technology" (Government- 
owned Tishreen, 4/12) 
 
"Lebanese judiciary declares beginning of investigation of 
terrorists who planned to assassinate Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbollah 
SecGen.  President Lahoud: We reject any attempt to harm the 
Lebanese resistance. Karami: Nassrallah is on the front line to 
defend Lebanon. Druze leaders in Lebanon: No to instability. Al- 
Hoss stresses the importance of enhancing relations with Syria" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/12) 
 
"Five US soldiers killed, one wounded in Iraq. Controversy over 
prime minister position remains unsettled. An opinion poll shows 
drastic decline in the popularity of President Bush and the 
Republicans" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/12) 
 
"After Rice, Powell acknowledges grave mistakes in Iraq. The 
Ministerial meeting by Iraq's neighboring countries is due today. 
Iraq boycotts the meeting" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 4/12) 
 
"Prodi promises a quick withdrawal of Italian troops from Iraq: 
Peace and Europe are main points on the agenda of his forthcoming 
cabinet" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/12) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
----------------------------- 
 
"Who Stop Israeli Terrorism?" 
 
----------------------------- 
 
Omar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (4/12): "Europe has joined Israel as partner in the 
collective punishment against Palestinians, through its decision 
to halt financial aid to the Palestinians.... 
 
"Palestinians are facing unprecedented injustice.... The West in 
general and Europe in particular are responsible for the human 
disaster the Palestinian people are facing. They also bear the 
historical responsibility for everything that has happened to 
this people and their just cause in the past and present. It is 
a shame for humanity that the Palestinian people remain the only 
people on earth who are not enjoying their most basic 
rights...." 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
"Satirical Chapters in Democracy" 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
Ali Qasim, an editorialist in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote 
(4/12): "Israel has decided to boycott the Palestinian Authority 
and every party that deals with it.... 
 
"When Israel's aggressive escalation failed to change the 
equation, Israel turned to political escalation, relying on 
American and European sanctions and usQg them as a basis for 
its political approach toward other countries and forces. Yet we 
heard no one protesting or objecting. 
 
"Through their attempt to push the Palestinian people toward 
starvation and deprivation as a punishment for their democracy, 
Europe and the United States have launched a war on democracy 
and are insisting on besieging and strangling it.... 
 
"In such an international situation there is a farce, a black 
political comedy, a blind compliance with a logic that runs 
contrary to everything, and a setback to human intellect...." 
 
----------------------- 
 
"From Jenin to Baghdad" 
 
----------------------- 
 
Isam Dari, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote 
(4/12): "In April 2002 the world witnessed in Jenin the ugliest 
Israeli massacre committed against Palestinians.... One year 
later the same scenario was repeated in the more appalling 
massacre represented by the fall of Baghdad.... 
 
"The scenario of the Jenin massacre was a rehearsal for the 
Baghdad massacre and the Iraq massacres. It is not surprising 
that several reports indicated an Israeli role in planning, 
training, and perhaps directly participating in the invasion and 
destruction of Iraq and the looting of its wealth by today's 
Tartars.... 
 
"The same scenario is repeated from Jenin to Baghdad while the 
world turns a blind eye, describing the declared and 
premeditated terrorism as self-defense or an effort to spread 
democracy and using siege and starvation to punish a people for 
their democratic choices.... 
 
 "Arabs are not allowed to defend themselves, their territories, 
or their rights. They are not allowed to resist. Israel and 
Bush's administration, meanwhile, violate all the laws of earth 
and heaven without anyone protesting, even if only to spare 
themselves the blame. It is a twisted world that one cannot 
describe because it is beyond description." 
 
Seche