VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #5097/01 3031201
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301201Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2210
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6337
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4143
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2731
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7330
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1350
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4711
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0926
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7062

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 005097 
 
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/Russia, Syria/Poland, 
Syria/Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian Territories (10/30) 
 
 
¶1.   Summary:  Syrian papers today reported President Asad's meeting 
on October 29 with Former Premier of the Russian Federation Yevgeny 
Primakov.  Talks focused on current international and regional 
events and bilateral relations.  Primakov presented to President 
Asad the Arabic version of his new book "The Middle East: The Known 
and The Hidden," and delivered a lecture on Sunday at al-Asad 
Library in Damascus on the occasion of the book's publication. 
Primakov said that Israel has to accept the return of the occupied 
Syrian Golan.  However, he asserted, Israel was not ready for such 
peace. 
 
Papers also reported Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem's meeting 
with Horst Freitag, Director General of the German Foreign Ministry, 
focusing on cooperation between Syria and Germany to realize 
security and stability in the region, since Germany will become the 
head the European Union early next year.  FM al-Mouallem also met 
with Watold Waszczykowski, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister.  Talks 
focused on Syrian-European relations and means of developing and 
strengthening them, and on developments in the region. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
"President Asad reviews current regional events and Syrian-Russian 
cooperation and friendship relations, with Yevgeny Primakov, Former 
Premier of Russian Federation" (Government-owned Tishreen, 10/30) 
"Premier Mohammad Naji Ottri discusses with Iranian Foreign Minister 
Manouchehr Mottaki strong cooperative relations and prospects of 
developing them in energy, transport and construction domains" 
(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 10/30) 
"FM Mouallem holds talks with German and Polish delegations on 
Syrian-European relations.  Waszczykowski, Polish Deputy Foreign 
Minister:  No solution in the Middle East without Syria" 
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 10/30) 
"New confrontations between Israeli warplanes and German naval 
forces.  Speaker of Lebanese Parliament Berri postpones until Monday 
consultations among Lebanon's political groups on the formation of a 
national unity government.  Calls for changing the government 
continue.  Hizbollah:  The Lebanese refuse to be part of the US 
project in the region" (Government-owned Tishreen, 10/30) 
"Scores of Iraqis killed or wounded in American raids and separate 
attacks" (Government-owned Tishreen, 10/30) 
"EU Foreign Policy Chief Solana is hopeful for a Palestinian 
breakthrough" (Government-owned Syria Times, 10/30) 
"Colonel Charlie Brown, Democratic candidate for Congress:  The US 
image is worsening increasingly" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 
10/30) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
------------------------- 
"Accusations and Praises" 
------------------------- 
Izz-al-Din al-Darwish, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (10/30):  "President Bush and his team of neoconservatives 
let no media opportunity pass without attacking Syria and accusing 
it of interfering in Lebanese and Iraqi affairs.... In a press 
conference on Wednesday [25 October], President Bush leveled direct 
accusations against Damascus under the headline of the so-called 
'permanent US message to Syria.' 
"Any reading of US priorities in the region must lead to Israel, 
because Israel is the only and permanent American priority and 
Washington's undisputed strategic ally.... 
"The American condemnation of Syria, therefore, is, by all 
standards, praise for it.  This is exactly one of the main reasons 
behind popular Arab rallying around Syria and support for its 
national and pan-Arab positions, especially toward the Arab-Israeli 
conflict. 
"The region desperately needs US evenhandedness and objectivity, not 
Bush's false accusations.  It needs a fair position from the US 
Administration to help control the tension in the region and 
establish a just and comprehensive peace.  Spiteful words and 
accusations, on the other hand, will only cause further tension and 
instability and damage US interests. 
"Syria's permanent message to Bush's administration and the United 
States in general is:  Return to global legitimacy, stop interfering 
 
in the domestic affairs of some countries in the region, and use the 
language of dialogue to achieve cooperation and understanding and 
solve problems, not the language of force, arrogance, and bias, 
which, when tried, brought disastrous consequences for the region 
and the United States alike." 
---------------------- 
"A New European Tone" 
---------------------- 
Abd-al-Fattah al-Awad, Chief Editor of government-owned Al-Thawra, 
commented (10/30):  "There is a positive change in the position of 
some European countries toward the situation in the Middle East.... 
"The beginning of the change came through recognition of Syria's 
role in the region.... There were statements by some European 
officials on the significance of Syria's role....  Previous policies 
that relied on isolating Syria have proven a failure.... 
"However, some European governments still insist on their wrong and 
intransigent positions, so much so that Britain prevented members of 
parliament from visiting Syria.... 
"The new European position amounts to a genuine recognition of the 
soundness of the positions that Syria has adopted in past years 
toward extremely sensitive and delicate issues.  The evidence is 
that Syria did not change any of its positions and has maintained a 
clear vision toward all regional issues.... 
"But more time is needed to see if this European change is serious 
or merely a test balloon and political maneuver.  But it is clear 
that the failure of the Bush administration in Iraq, Afghanistan, 
Palestine, and Lebanon has made Europe reconsider its policy, 
especially since it was embroiled in those problems and was used to 
serve the American plan in a way that harmed Europe most.... 
"As it listens to these European voices and watches these changes 
closely, Syria knows that its political wisdom led to these results, 
and that the countries that know how to preserve their dignity and 
rights ultimately earn recognition of their outstanding roles.  As 
for Europe, we hope the change in tone will be the beginning of a 
change in language, so that Europe, benefiting from its knowledge of 
the region and its peoples, can play a role that befits its 
reputation and principles." 
-------------------------- 
"Iraq and the US Congress" 
-------------------------- 
Ahmad Dawwa, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote 
(10/30):  "There is contradiction in US statements on Iraq.... The 
aim is to mislead the American people and distract them as much as 
possible from what is happening in Iraq prior to the Congressional 
elections.... 
"New signals between the lines of the statements that Bush and his 
top aides are making show the inevitability of the withdrawal of 
American forces within less than one year, to avoid further American 
losses, not out of concern for the Iraqi people.  The results of the 
mid-term Congressional elections will define these signals in light 
of the deteriorating Iraqi situation and the increase in the number 
of American soldiers killed in Iraq.  Here lies the role of Iraqi 
political leaders in pressing for the adoption of a withdrawal 
timetable.  By doing so, they win two cards simultaneously:  First, 
they meet the demands of the Iraqi people, who reject the 
occupation, and, second, they curb the security deterioration, 
because the occupation is one of the main causes of this 
deterioration." 
Corbin