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DE RUEHDM #2192/01 1301406
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O 101406Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8901
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 5936
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3804
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2315
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7010
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0970
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4385
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0605
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6749

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 002192 
 
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/Palestinians, 
Syria/Sudan, Syria/Russian/Sweden, Lebanon, CIA Nomination, 
Ahmadinezhad's Letter to Bush (5/10) 
 
 
¶1.  Summary: Syrian papers reported that Syria has received 53 
families of Palestinian refugees who were trapped at the 
Jordanian and Iraqi borders for 6 weeks before. "Syria has taken 
necessary steps to host the Palestinian refugees in cooperation 
with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the Higher 
Commission of Palestinian Refugees," Ali Mustafa, Director of 
the General Commission of Palestinian Refugees in Syria, said. 
Headlines featured a statement by Khaled Mashal, Head of the 
Hamas Political Bureau, praising the Syrian gesture. 
 
Papers also reported that President Asad has received a letter 
from Sudanese President Umar Ahmad Hasan al-Bashir on relations 
between the two sisterly countries. The letter was delivered by 
Dr Mustafa Othman Isma'il, adviser to the Sudanese president, at 
a meeting attended by Vice President Faruq al-Shar'a and the 
Sudanese Ambassador in Damascus, Abd-al-Rahman Dirar. Talks 
dealt with the situation in the region and developments in the 
Darfur issue. 
 
Papers reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Makdad met 
in New York with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, who said that 
his country's position is that Syria has implemented all its 
obligations under UNSC resolution 1559. Makdad also met with 
Sweden's FM Jan Eliasson, the current chairman of the UNSC; they 
discussed the necessity of supporting the Palestinian people and 
solving the crisis of their living conditions. 
 
Syrian newspapers discussed the resignation of CIA Director 
Porter Goss and the nomination of Michael Hayden to replace him. 
Dr Sa'id Musallam said in Al-Thawra that Michael Hayden's 
nomination shows that the US Administration intends to continue 
its plans to impose "hegemony" on the world and "suppress" 
domestic opposition. Dina Dakhlallah said in Al-Ba'th that the 
nomination of Michael Hayden as the new CIA director shows that 
President Bush is not planning to change his ways. The writer 
advises the US president to listen to the demonstrators in his 
country who have called for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq 
and turning of attention to domestic problems. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2. Selected Headlines: 
 
"In accordance with President Asad's directives, Syria receives 
the Palestinian families who were trapped at the Iraqi and 
Jordanian borders" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/10) 
 
"President Asad receives a letter from his Sudanese counterpart, 
Omar Hassan al-Bashir, and discusses with Mustafa Othman Ismail, 
Advisor to the Sudanese President, the latest developments in the 
region and the Darfur Issue" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/10) 
 
"Deputy Foreign Minister Miqdad receives Swedish Foreign Minister 
in New York and discusses bilateral relations and regional issues 
with Russian Foreign Minister. Lavrov: Syria has implemented 
resolution 1559" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/10) 
 
"General Manager of the Commercial Bank of Syria Dergham confirms 
that US accusations against Syria are unfounded: We seek better 
banking performance despite pressure" (Government-owned Al- 
Thawra, 5/10) 
 
"Popularity of British Labor Party decreases by 6 points. British 
Minister of Treasury Brown: Prime Minister Blair will start 
negotiation to relinquish power. President Bush's popularity hits 
lowest record and retreats to 31 percent" (Government-owned 
Tishreen, 5/10) 
 
"Israel will finalize construction of the racist wall before the 
end of the year. Occupation forces continue shelling Gaza and 
tighten economic siege on Palestinians" (Government-owned Al- 
Ba'th, 5/10) 
 
"British academics prepare to boycott Israeli universities" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 5/10) 
 
 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
---------------------- 
"Where Is Leadership?" 
 
---------------------- 
 
Salim Abbud, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, said 
(5/10): "When UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen exceeded his powers and 
called for the establishment of diplomatic relations between 
Syria and Lebanon and the demarcation of the border between them 
he was carrying out American-French instructions to that 
effect.... 
 
"The Lebanese parties that have always been against Syria and 
the Arab identity of Lebanon are the parties that are now 
calling for diplomatic relations between the two countries. The 
aim is to belittle the fraternal relations that are embodied by 
the brotherhood treaty between the two countries.... The 
resolution that they want to obtain from the UN Security 
Council, which calls for the establishment of diplomatic 
relations and the exchange of ambassadors, will be a prelude to 
other Security Council resolutions forcing Arab countries, 
including Lebanon and Iraq, to establish relations with 
Israel.... 
 
"Responding to an American-Israeli desire, some Lebanese parties 
are trying to divert the attention of the Lebanese people from 
the Arab-Israeli conflict; the American-Zionist plan for the 
region; the issue of Iraq; the American threats to Iran, Syria, 
Hizbollah, and the Palestinians; and the political, security, 
and economic issues that concern the Lebanese, by creating an 
imaginary conflict between Lebanon and Syria, or, in other 
words, a Lebanese-Syrian crisis." 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
"Policy of Disorder, For How Long?" 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
Omar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (5/10): "US policy shows blind bias toward Israel and 
reflects aggressive Israeli interests, not real American 
interests.... 
 
"Washington prevents the condemnation of Israel in the United 
Nations and imposes collective punishment on the Palestinians 
for their democratic choice. 
 
"In Lebanon, the US Ambassador gives instructions, concocts 
plots here and there, and works to deepen the rift in Lebanon's 
relations with Syria and the other Arab countries and to incite 
the Lebanese themselves against their national resistance and 
president.... The aim is to bring Israeli hegemony back to 
Lebanon.... 
 
"The US Administration is also working to prolong the occupation 
of Iraq and turn the country into a military base threatening 
the peoples of the region and looting the resources of Iraq.... 
All this is done for the sake of Israel.... 
 
"Is it not strange for a superpower to be driven by the designs 
of a terrorist entity that is hostile to international law and 
the UN Charter, an entity that has brought nothing upon the US 
Administration but the hatred of nations?" 
 
------------------------------ 
 
"A Letter That Is an Enormous Step" 
 
------------------------------ 
 
 
Hamid Huran, a commentator in government-owned Al-Ba'th, 
commented (5/10): "Iranian President Ahmadinezhad's letter to 
President Bush, in which he reportedly called for dialogue to 
solve the problems of the world, is an important step in the 
right direction.... 
 
"Those who want stability in the world should pursue diplomacy 
and direct negotiations, not use other parties for negotiations 
or issue dictates and threats that only make crises worse.... 
Through the letter, Iran showed its definite desire to resolve 
its differences with the Europeans and Americans through 
diplomacy.... Iran takes a comprehensive vision toward world 
events, while the US policy is responsible for tension in the 
world." 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
"Bush's Changes Have Reached the CIA" 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
Dina Dakhlallah, a commentator in government-owned Al-Ba'th, 
wrote (5/10): "After the scandals of the secret prisons in 
Europe, the series of leaks and bribes, the failures of 11 
September, and erroneous war-related intelligence, the CIA, 
which won the Cold War against communism, today appears unable 
to stop its failures and even to find the right man to lead the 
necessary internal reforms.... 
 
"Although Goss' resignation triggered a big controversy, the 
nomination of General Michael Hayden, Deputy Director of 
National Security, as his successor will trigger a bigger 
controversy, especially in the Congress, where Hayden will be 
asked about the secret eavesdropping program in which the 
National Security Agency participated while he was its 
chairman.... 
 
"Hayden's nomination offers yet further proof that the changes 
Bush is making seek to entrench his administration's old 
approach, not launch a new one.... 
 
"It appears that the US president, who sought changes under 
pressure from his party, which, like the president, is suffering 
a decline in its popularity, forgot that keeping Donald Rumsfeld 
and Dick Cheney and appointing Hayden and others will not 
improve the electoral position of the Republican Party. 
 
"If Bush really wants to maintain the Republicans' control of 
Congress and the White House, he should perhaps listen carefully 
to the American people, who raised their voices in 
demonstrations in many American cities last week, demanding 
withdrawal from Iraq and attention to domestic issues such as 
health insurance, education, job opportunities, and fuel prices. 
 
"Will Hayden manage to rearrange the CIA house? Or is this 
unimportant as long as he works under National Intelligence 
Director John Negroponte, who enjoys the president's acceptance 
and strong support?" 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
"Why Hayden as CIA Director?" 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
Sa'id Musallam, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, 
wrote (5/10): "Hayden's nomination as CIA chief is expected to 
draw strong opposition, first because he is a military officer 
and second because of his role in the eavesdropping scandal.... 
 
"There are two reasons behind President Bush's insistence on 
nominating Hayden as CIA director despite the opposition and 
concerns: 
 
"The first is his willingness to continue the eavesdropping 
 
 
program and to scrutinize the information that comes from 
intelligence sources while the US Administration is busy with 
foreign crises that have been exacerbated by false and 
misleading information. 
"The second is the determination by Bush and his team to find 
further excuses and pretexts, through the analysis of secret 
information that Hayden is skilled at controlling, using, and 
fabricating, to continue the plan of hegemony and foreign 
intervention, and even to suppress attempts by some local 
quarters to make new revelations that help increase the American 
scandals." 
 
Seche