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DE RUEHDM #2594/01 1561246
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O 051246Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9381
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6002
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3863
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2381
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7069
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1049
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4442
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0665
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6806

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 002594 
 
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/Cuba, Syria/Palestinians, 
Golan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Iraq (6/5) 
 
 
¶1. Summary: Syrian papers reported the visit to Damascus by 
Fernando Ramirez de Estenoz, Chief of the Foreign Relations 
Bureau of the Cuban Communist Party's Central Committee, 
featuring his meetings with Vice President Farouk Shara. A 
statement by the Syrian Arab News Agency said that talks focused 
on recent international and regional developments and the ongoing 
tension resulting from the US policy of hegemony. Shara and 
Estenoz reiterated the importance of boosting the bilateral 
relations between Syria and Cuba in all fields and activating the 
Non-Aligned Movement role on the occasion of holding the NAM 
summit in Havana in September 2006. 
 
Papers also reported a press statement by Palestinian PM Hanieh 
to the Kuwaiti daily "Al-Rai Al-Am" describing relations between 
Syria and Palestinians as strong, saying "we feel proud of these 
relations and Syria's stances and support of the Palestinian 
people." "The latest visit to Syria by the Palestinian 
Authority's FM Mahmoud al-Zahar was successful in upgrading 
Palestinian diplomatic representation and admitting Palestinians 
to Syria without a visa," Hanieh said. 
 
Papers also reported that the Arab group participating in the 
current session of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 
Geneva agreed to set up a committee that consists of Syria, 
Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and the International 
Federation of Arab Trade Unions to discuss the report of the ILO 
mission which visited the occupied Syrian Golan and the 
Palestinian territories.  The Cairo-based Arab Labor Organization 
said in a statement published Sunday that its Director General, 
Ibrahim Qweider, stressed the necessity of contacting and meeting 
with other international groups taking part in the ILO Session to 
rally support for the Arab stance. Mr. Qweider called for a 
meeting to discuss the ILO agenda, pointing out that Arabs are 
keen to disclose Israel's grave violations of Arab labor rights 
and international laws and norms in the occupied Arab 
territories, including killings, destruction, and economic siege 
to push the Palestinians to starvation. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Vice-President Shara and Deputy Chairman of the National 
Progressive Front Qaddah review bilateral relations and regional 
and international developments with Fernando Ramirez de Estenoz, 
Chief of Foreign Relations Bureau of Cuban Communist Party's 
Central Committee" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/5) 
 
"Palestinian Prime Minister Hanieh reiterates support for 
national dialogue, rejects vote on the Detainees Document, and 
lauds Syrian campaign of solidarity with Palestinians" 
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/5) 
 
"Rally and Speeches in Ba'albak in solidarity with Hizbollah. 
Denunciation of targeting SecGen Nasrallah continued. Media 
insulation of Nasrallah aggravates tension in the Lebanese arena" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 6/5) 
 
"President Mubarak calls on Israeli Prime Minister Olmert to 
establish a just peace in the region. Olmert pretends support 
for the Roadmap and hints at a meeting with PM Abbas" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 6/5) 
 
"An Arab Committee to discuss fallacies of report by the 
International Labor Organization mission to the occupied Syrian 
Golan and the Palestinian territories" (Government-owned 
Tishreen, 6/5) 
 
"A US solider killed in Al-Anbar. Clashes erupt in Basra and 
Baghdad. Destiny of Russian diplomats is still unknown. US 
Secretary of State Rice expresses concern over the security 
 
SIPDIS 
situation in Iraq and expects the designation of Iraqi Ministers 
of Interior and Defense " (Government-owned Tishreen, 6/5) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
"Our People Will Regain the Golan" 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
Elias Murad, Chief Editor of government-owned Al-Ba'th, 
commented (6/5) "Israel announced that the strategic planning 
unit on the expansion of settlements held a meeting in Ramon 
settlement, which overlooks Lake Tiberias, to discuss the 
possibility of increasing the number of Zionist settlers to 
50,000 in the near future. 
 
"This plan poses a direct threat to the Arabism of the Golan. It 
entrenches the state of aggression on our Syrian Arab land and 
shows an Israeli determination to disregard international 
resolutions of Arab summits and the declared Arab desire to 
achieve a just and comprehensive peaceful solution. Here we say: 
No country, no matter how powerful it may be, can maintain its 
power forever. And no country that others believe is weak can 
remain so for ever. Events have proved that the issue is not one 
of warplanes, tanks, missiles, and other weapons that some 
countries possess exclusively.... 
 
"Our occupied Golan and every other occupied Arab territory are 
sacred. They call upon all of us to carry out this duty, where 
we clarify things and explain to the world that if Israel 
continues its aggression and occupation of our lands, it will be 
posing a threat to world peace, and that no nation can remain 
silent about the occupation of its territory and its remaining 
in the hands of enemies. Consequently, Syrians will only be like 
others in choosing the right method and taking the road of 
resistance, which, apparently, is the only thing that Israel 
understands...." 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
"To Cover Up Military and Political Failures" 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
Iz-Eddin Darwish, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (6/5): "The US Administration is tampering with the 
Lebanese situation and intensifying pressure on Syria to cover 
up its military, security, and political failures in Iraq, the 
Palestinian territories, Afghanistan, and the entire Arab and 
Islamic region.... 
 
"Syria realizes that it is targeted by the United States and 
Israel;  Syria builds its positions and policies accordingly and 
takes every necessary measure to fortify its cohesive national 
unity and strengthen its ability to foil the pressure. In this 
regard, it has achieved what the US Administration has not 
thought of: it has maintained its Arab and international 
presence, adhered to its constant national and pan-Arab 
principles, kept constant connection with the Arab resistance 
movements in Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, and refused to 
surrender to the Israeli plans of aggression and blackmail 
concerning the occupied Golan, or to give up any part of the 
Golan no matter how small.... 
 
"Will the US Administration return to political realism and 
admit its mistakes against Syria?" 
 
----------------------------- 
 
"Al-Ishaqi Is not a Massacre!" 
 
----------------------------- 
 
Adham al-Tawil, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, 
wrote (6/5): "US investigations into the Al-Ishaqi massacre in 
northern Baghdad have acquitted the US military of the killing 
of women and children.... 
 
"In his defense of the acquittal of the American soldiers from 
the Al-Ishaqi massacre, a spokesman for the US State Department 
said: 'There are no clean wars.' This sentence could have been 
the only true sentence among all the continuing US lies about 
the massacres in Iraq if the US official had worded it in this 
way: 'There are absolutely no clean American wars'...." 
 
----------------- 
 
"Did Bush Do it?" 
 
----------------- 
 
Maha Sultan, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote 
(6/5): "President Bush appears to have endorsed Israeli Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert's Convergence Plan, which makes it 
impossible to create a viable Palestinian state.... 
 
"Olmert knows that he can act unilaterally and impose his plan 
on Palestinians and the international community as long as 
American support is available and reliable.... President Bush 
will not confront the Zionist Lobby in the US when the 
Republican Party is getting ready for elections.... Olmert also 
knows that there is no use negotiating with Palestinians over 
his plan because no Palestinian official can accept a plan that 
aims to usurp Palestinians lands.... 
 
"Palestinians need to confront this situation with a unified 
position, not with differences and inter-Palestinian 
fighting...." 
 
Seche