VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #2466/01 1501251
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301251Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9232
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 5988
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3850
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2364
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7056
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1029
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4429
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0652
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6793

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 02466 
 
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/UAE, NAM Summit, 
Syria/China, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian Territories (5/30) 
 
 
¶1.  Summary: Syrian papers reported Vice-President Farouk al- 
Shara's visit to the UAE and his meeting with His Highness 
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the UAE, who 
received a message from President Asad regarding the latest 
developments in the region. Shara and Sheikh Khalifa reviewed 
developments in the region, particularly in Iraq and Palestine, 
in addition to bilateral relations. Shara touched upon the UAE's 
businessmen forum scheduled for Damascus next month and the 
prospects it would open for investments in Syria. Later, Shara 
met Prime Minister and Governor of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin 
Rashed Al Maktoum. 
 
Papers also reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad 
conferred in Malaysia with his South African Counterpart Aziz 
Bahad on proposed topics for the agenda of the ministerial 
Conference of the Non-Aliened Movement (NAM) Coordinating Bureau. 
Mr. Miqdad also met Amr Mousa, SecGen of the Arab League, Yemeni 
Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Qurabi, Iran's Foreign Minister Mottaki 
and Fujieh Namibia, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General. 
The meetings dealt with viewpoints about proposed topics for the 
agenda of the ministerial conference, as well as the situation in 
the Middle East. 
 
Papers also reported that President Asad attended a field 
maneuver conducted by one of the Syrian armed formations. 
President Asad was briefed on the stages of the maneuver and its 
objectives. He praised the efforts of the officers and soldiers, 
and gave directions to continue qualitative training to improve 
the combat preparedness of the armed forces. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"President Asad attends a field maneuver conducted by Syrian 
armed formations and gives his directions to continue qualitative 
training to improve the combat preparedness of Syrian armed 
forces" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/30) 
 
"Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the UAE, 
receives President Asad's message conveyed by Vice-President 
Farouk al-Shara on the latest developments in the region. 
Conference of UAE Businessmen in Damascus opens new prospects for 
investments" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/30) 
 
"Beijing gives a high evaluation to Syria's stance to boost peace 
in the region. Foreign Minister Walid al-Mou'allem discusses with 
his Chinese counterpart Li Zhao Xing political developments and 
importance of enhancing the Syrian-Chinese relations" (Government- 
owned Tishreen, 5/30) 
 
"With the participation of a Syrian delegation headed by Deputy 
Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad, activities of the Ministerial 
Conference of the Non-Aliened Movement (NAM) begin today in 
Malaysia" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/30) 
 
"Lebanese emphasis on commitment to the arms and defense strategy 
of the Lebanese resistance. President Lahoud: We are in a state 
of war with Israel; he who talks of disarming the resistance is a 
traitor" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/30) 
 
"Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace continue. Israeli 
enhancement along Lebanese-Israeli borders. Hizbollah confirms 
insistence on resistance" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/30) 
 
"Two British soldiers killed, two others wounded in Basra, in 
southern Iraq. Two journalists of US CBS TV network killed along 
with scores of Iraqis in attacks in Baghdad and Baquba" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 5/30) 
 
"One Palestinian martyred in Gaza. Conference of Palestinian 
dialogue has not settled disagreements yet. Al-Zahaar: We will 
not acknowledge Israel. Livni [Israeli Foreign Minister]: Turkey 
will not support Olmert's plan on unilateral withdrawal from the 
West Bank" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/30) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
"Israeli Terrorism Strikes anew in the Lebanese Arena" 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
Sa'dallah Barakat, a commentator in government-owned Al-Ba'th, 
maintained (5/30): "The assassination of Islamic Jihad leader 
Mahmud al-Majdhub is one of Israel's terrorist crimes in 
Lebanon.... 
 
"Al-Majdhub's killing in South Lebanon was an Israeli attempt to 
destabilize Lebanon and raise suspicions between the Lebanese 
and the Palestinian refugees at a time when the file of these 
refugees is being discussed at the Lebanese national dialogue 
conference.... There must be serious efforts to prevent Israel 
from infiltrating Lebanon and spreading its venom in every 
direction, especially since Mosad agents are moving freely 
everywhere in Lebanon...." 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
"The Judicial Lawsuit against Jumblatt, A Legal Perspective" 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
Muhammad Salha, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, 
said (5/30): "The lawsuit that Syrian citizen Husam al-Din al- 
Habash filed against Lebanese Deputy Walid Jumblatt should be 
seen from an objective and legal perspective as a judicial 
action against a person whom the plaintiff believes committed 
the crime of insulting the Syrian people and inciting the United 
States to occupy and destroy Syria.... 
 
"This is the citizen's right. The judiciary, as an independent 
power, took the normal legal procedure to examine the case. The 
Syrian government did not interfere in this issue in any way.... 
 
"Jumblatt's parliamentary immunity does not give him the right 
to incite the United States to occupy Syria or the right to 
attack Syria, its president, and its national policy.... 
 
"The Syrian citizen has the right to take Jumblatt to court, 
either a Syrian or Lebanese court.... The lawsuit could have 
been filed in Lebanon, had the situation in that country been 
objective and balanced and the judiciary not been under the 
onslaught of forces that call themselves the majority.... 
 
"There are some Lebanese who underestimate the legal action 
against Jumblatt, saying that the memoranda of the Syrian 
judiciary against him will end in the trash can. If these people 
do not care about their Lebanese judiciary, which every Syrian 
citizen respects, it is not their right to show disrespect for 
the Syrian judiciary." 
 
----------------------------- 
 
"No Alternative To Dialogue" 
 
----------------------------- 
 
Muhammad Khair al-Jammali, an editorialist in government-owned 
Al-Thawra, wrote (5/30): "The Palestinian people need to stick 
to their national unity and renounce divisions and infighting 
now more than ever before.... 
 
"There is no alternative to accord over the basic issues for the 
sake of which the Palestinian people have sacrificed tens of 
thousands of people; namely, liberation, the right of return, 
and the establishment of a demographically and geographically 
contiguous independent state.... 
 
"The Palestinian factions took a very good step as they launched 
national dialogue to work out a unified national program seeking 
 
to strengthen steadfastness and deepen national unity.... This 
steadfastness is needed to confront the political and economic 
hurricane that Palestinians are facing.... The dialogue, 
however, should not be content merely with freezing the 
differences, but should come up with decisive solutions to 
them...." 
 
-------------------------- 
 
"Injustice, For How Long?" 
 
-------------------------- 
 
Omar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
wrote (5/30): "The Israeli government is using the time factor 
and absolute American support to complete the Judaization of 
Jerusalem and annex the largest possible amount of the West Bank 
within the implementation of Ehud Olmert's unilateral withdrawal 
plan.... 
 
"The plan prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state and 
isolates Palestinians in a number of cantons. If we add to this 
the international siege and the Israeli military siege on the 
Palestinian people and the daily terrorist operations against 
them, we will find that the final plan seeks to uproot the 
largest possible number of Palestinians and complete the 
transfer process after turning the life of the Palestinians into 
an unbearable hell.... All this is taking place under the eyes 
of the international community.... Why all this injustice to 
Palestinians? Where is the United Nations, which has the 
responsibility of protecting nations' rights...?" 
 
Seche