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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #5424/01 3550743
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210743Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2654
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6456
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4243
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2842
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7420
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1465
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4803
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1025
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7153

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 005424 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/R/MR:STHIBEAULT AND 
JMCCARTER, VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, AZAIBACK, AND 
AFERNANDEZ, IIP/G/NEA-SA MDAVIDSON 
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC 
CENTCOM FOR CCPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY
SUBJECT:  Syria/UAE, Syria/Russia, Syria/Iraq, Lebanon (12/19) 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Syrian papers on Dec. 19 reported President Asad's 
arrival in Moscow starting a two-day working visit to the Russian 
Federation during which he will hold talks with Russian President 
Vladimir Putin on the situation in the Middle East and ways to 
strengthen bilateral relations.  Papers also reported that 
President's earlier visit to Dubai and his meeting with 
Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister and 
Governor of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashed Al-Maktoom. 
On Iraq, papers reported that on December 18 Syrian and Iraqi 
Interior Ministries signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the 
fields of immigration, passports, combating terrorism and crimes in 
addition to exchanging information and wanted people in both 
brotherly countries. Headlines featured a press statement by Turkish 
PM Erdogan in New York, confirming that Turkey rejects the 
partitioning of Iraq and, like Syria and Iran, supports its 
territorial integrity. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"President Asad in Moscow to discuss regional developments and 
bilateral relations with President Putin" (Government-owned 
Tishreen, 12/19) 
 
"President Asad reviews investment, economic and trade cooperation 
and mutual cooperation with Governor of Dubai Sheikh Mohammad Bin 
Rashed Al-Maktoom" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/19) 
 
"Vice-President for Cultural Affairs Najah al-Attar visits Kuwait 
and underlines necessity of confronting anti-Arab campaigns by 
dialogue and logic" (Government-owned Tishreen, 12/19) 
 
"Syrian and Iraqi Interior Ministries sign a Memorandum of 
Understanding in fields of immigration, passports, combating 
terrorism and crime in addition to exchanging information" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 12/19) 
 
"Syria demands revealing which countries did not cooperate with 
Brammertz' investigation" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/19) 
 
"A fragile ceasefire in the Palestinian territories.  Abbas insist 
on early elections.  Blair holds HAMAS responsible for tension 
reiterating Israeli conditions" (Government-owned Tishreen, 12/19) 
 
"Killing of three US soldiers in Iraq. Bush adopts a new plan on 
Iraq. Additional forces to cement a political solution.  Rejection 
of political settlements" (Government-owned Tishreen, 12/19) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
--------------------------- 
 
"So Arabs do not Lament" 
 
--------------------------- 
 
Dr. Buthaina Sha'ban, Minister Expatriate Affairs, wrote in her 
weekly column in government-owned Tishreen, (12/19):  "There are 
some efforts and arguments in the West that serve Arab rights, such 
as former US President Jimmy Carter's new book, the recommendations 
of the Iraq Study Group, the farewell speech by UN Secretary General 
Kofi Annan, and the book by American Judge Elizabeth de la Vega.... 
But for Arabs to benefit from these voices, they need to renounce 
their differences and convey the painful reality of the region to 
the conscience of the international community.... 
 
"We lament the fact that Arabs are busy with the theories of 
moderation versus extremism, Sunnis versus Shiite, Fatah versus 
HAMAS, and so on -- theories that were created for Arabs by their 
enemies.... 
 
"The Arab political and intellectual elite must embrace their 
rights, take pride in their identity, and join forces with these 
rising international forces to convey the issue of the Arab-Israeli 
conflict and its results in Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon to the 
living world conscience with a view to achieve justice and human 
dignity for Arab men, women, and children." 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
"A Crisis Heralding a Catastrophe" 
 
---------------------------------- 
Umar Jaftali, a commentator in government-owned Tishrin, wrote 
(12/19):  "The Palestinian infighting serves Israel's interests as 
it wastes Palestinian resources and capabilities and allows Israel 
to wriggle out of the peace requirements and complete the 
implementation of its hostile Zionist plan.... 
 
"There is a foreign plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause....  All 
Palestinians must avoid splits and divisions, return to national 
dialogue, and unify their ranks and efforts against the Israeli 
occupation...." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
"Israeli Worry about Baker-Hamilton Recommendations" 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
Ibrahim Shuqayr, a commentator in government-owned Al-Ba'th, wrote 
(12/19):  "The Baker-Hamilton recommendations have caused great fear 
for the majority of Israelis, especially the linking of the Iraq 
problem and the Arab-Israeli conflict.... 
 
"Although these recommendations are not binding, they showed the 
mistakes of the US Administration when it turned its back on the 
peace process in the region, practiced deception, demonstrated 
stubbornness and blind bias toward and surrender to Israel, and 
disregarded all the international efforts to establish peace in the 
region.... 
 
"The Baker-Hamilton recommendations remain a realistic option 
available to the US Administration to deal with them as one package, 
correct the course, and provide a way to address the other crises in 
the region. Without this, the US Administration will not arrive at 
any result and will continue to face problems, failures, and hatred 
in the region...." 
 
 
Roebuck