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O 101240Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2766
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6487
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4269
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2874
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7444
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1491
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4832
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1051
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7175

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000032 
 
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:  Specter Codel, Syria/US, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian 
Territories, Iran (12/27) 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Syrian press and TV on Dec. 27 expressed great joy 
about the press conference which Senator Arlen Specter gave at 
Damascus Airport, after meeting President Asad on December 27, 2006. 
 The meeting with the President and the press conference were the 
lead story in all the radio and TV news bulletins yesterday and this 
morning.  The Syrian Press focused on Specter's statement that "long 
experience with Syria has proven that dialogue with Syrian officials 
is useful."  Syrian dailies and TV news highlighted Specter's 
statement that he has "strongly opposed the US Administration 
position which aimed to isolate Syria."  Government-owned Tishreen 
quoted Specter as saying that "the Congress has the responsibility 
to confront the position of President Bush if he insists on 
rejecting dialogue with Syria."  Tishreen also quoted Specter as 
saying that "President Bush has to change his position vis-`-vis 
dialogue."  Papers also reported that President Asad stressed the 
need to solve all problems of the region, including the problem of 
WMD, and means of freeing the region from these weapons.  At the 
same time, he pointed out that solutions to Middle East problems 
must be political, not security.  Senator Specter said Asad told him 
that the issue of controlling the border with Iraq needs cooperation 
from the Iraqi side.  He said he was familiar with the security 
agreement that Syria and Iraq signed recently and with Syria's 
willingness to make every possible effort to ensure stability in 
Iraq.  On the Lebanese situation, Senator Specter noted Syria's 
assertion of its responsiveness to Security Council Resolution 1701 
and its full cooperation with the international investigation 
commission into the assassination of former Lebanese PM al-Hariri. 
Senator Specter said that finding a political solution to problems 
of the region through negotiations would reflect positively on the 
fragile cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.  Answering 
a question about the Palestinian situation, Senator Specter said his 
talks with President Asad also dealt with the efforts that Syria is 
making to reach a settlement between HAMAS and Fatah.  Describing 
the current situation in Palestine as very tense, he stressed the 
need to use the language of dialogue and understanding to reach a 
solution to the tense situation in the Palestinian territories. 
 
Papers also reported that US businessmen, teachers, and students 
participated in a documentary film about Syria titled "Unveiling 
Syria," expressed a desire to introduce a true image of Syria to the 
world after they discovered that the stereotypical views of Western 
media about Syria are misconceptions.  After they lived for four 
months in Syria, the participants in the film spoke with great 
admiration, respect and cordiality about Syrian Society and its 
traditions, habits and safety. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"President Asad confirms to Senator Specter that solutions to 
problems in the region must be of political not security nature. 
Identical points of view on the fact that the absence of just and 
comprehensive peace keeps the region in a state of constant chaos 
and disorder" (Government-owned Tishreen, 12/27) 
 
"Specter:  Dialogue with Syria is essential.... I have strongly 
opposed attempts to isolate it.... Congress must confront the 
President's refusal to hold dialogue with it.... The US 
Administration blocks the peace process and demands that Israel not 
negotiate with Syria (Government-owned Tishreen, 12/27) 
 
"Senator Specter:  US policy towards Syria is futile. President Asad 
is concerned about achieving peace. Syria is cooperative with the 
international investigation committee but the American 
administration hinders the peace process.  The US Congress has to 
confront the position of the American President if he insists on 
rejecting dialogue with Syria" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 12/27) 
 
"US students talk about Syria:  Western media circulate erroneous 
ideas about Syria" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/27) 
 
"Palestinian President Abbas and Prime Minister Hanieh will meet in 
Amman.  Israel establishes a new settlement in the West Bank" 
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/27) 
 
"On the eve of President Bush's announcement of strategy on Iraq, 
the number of US casualties exceeds the number of 9/11 casualties" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 12/27) 
 
"The Lebanese opposition continues its sit-in and peaceful moves. 
Lebanese MPs and figures:  The February 14 team is deeply involved 
in the US scheme; Lebanon is part of an Arab solution" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 12/27) 
 
"Egypt confirms the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program. 
Tehran downplays the UNSC sanctions and defers its answer until 
after Al-Baradei's report" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 12/27) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
------------------- 
 
"Time of Treachery" 
 
------------------- 
 
Umar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishrin, commented 
(12/27):  "Once again the spiteful screamers in Lebanon level 
accusations against Syria after they released all their poison and 
intrigues and ran out of falsehoods to use against Damascus.... 
 
"After they lost their credibility with their employers overseas, 
these bankrupt and rancorous people are infuriated at their failure 
as hirelings, especially as they see that their allegations and 
accusations against Syria produced adverse results.... 
 
"These Lebanese are deliberately foiling the Arab League initiative 
to resolve the political crisis in Lebanon.... Those screamers and 
promoters of the Zionist-American plan prefer disorder, because, 
like moss, they thrive in murky, not healthy, climates.... 
 
"These Lebanese are serving Zionism and colluding against brothers 
and against the resistance.... Syria will remain too strong to be 
harmed by the enemies and hired people.  It will continue to reach 
out to the free nationalists in Lebanon and the rest of our 
extensive Arab homeland, where those hired by the West have no place 
in the age of resistance, steadfastness, and dignity." 
 
-------------- 
 
"An Inventory" 
 
-------------- 
 
Ali Qasim, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote 
(12/27):  "Most US writers, in their assessment of President Bush's 
policy five years after the start of the war on terror, talk about 
failure, not only in Iraq but also worldwide.... 
 
"While many people assume that this acknowledgement of failure will 
prompt the US Administration to revise its policies, many American 
writers do not agree.... On the contrary, they read in the initial 
signals coming from the conduct of President Bush and his team a 
tendency to barricade himself behind his illusion of achieving what 
he has so far been unable to achieve, with a change of methods or 
priorities if necessary." 
 
"These American writers find in the continuation of President Bush's 
administration a continuation of a deadlock in international 
relations, a growing escalation in the existing volatile spots, and 
a creation of new hotbeds of tension.  Consequently, the world 
should brace itself for another year of tragedies and crises 
resulting from the US policy...." 
 
---------------------------------------- 
 
"Sanctions on Iran and Double Standards" 
 
---------------------------------------- 
 
Dr. Adnan Ali, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, said 
 
(12/27):  "The UN sanctions on Iran once again show the policy of 
double standards and deliberate targeting of certain countries and 
peoples on the basis of their ethnicity and cultural identity, in 
addition to their role and policies, which might not please 
international policymakers... 
 
"The world closed its eyes and ears to the Israeli Prime Minister's 
recent confession that Israel possesses nuclear weapons.... The 
Security Council sanctions, which might be intensified and expanded 
in the future, will force Iran to adopt a different approach now 
that the methods of cooperation and transparency it has tried to 
adopt so far have failed.... 
 
"We will see new episodes of tension in the region, which is indeed 
suffering major injustices and seeing much blood as a result of the 
policies of superpowers...." 
 
------------------- 
 
"A Disastrous Year" 
 
------------------- 
 
Isam Dari, a commentator in government-owned Tishrin, wrote (12/27): 
 "2006 was a disastrous year for the world, and our region in 
particular....  We witnessed tragedies in Iraq, Lebanon and the 
Palestinian territories.... Iraq saw the most appalling massacres in 
which thousands of innocent people were killed, whether at the hands 
of terrorists and extremist criminal terrorist groups or at the 
hands of occupiers, or the two together.... 
 
"In the Palestinian territories, the situation is not much 
different.... The strange thing is that those who call for democracy 
reject the democracy of the Palestinian people.  They besiege 
Palestinians to punish them for their choice and they give Israel a 
free hand to practice its terrorism and commit its crimes against 
the peaceful Palestinian people.... 
 
"These same forces launched an unprecedented aggression against 
Lebanon.... Massacres against the Lebanese were worse than the 
massacres of the Nazis in World War II.... 
 
"Neoconservatives and leaders of Tel Aviv want their new Middle East 
to be born from the heart of destruction and to be built on the 
bodies of martyrs.... But although 2006 was the year of blood, 
destruction, and human rights violations, it was also the year of 
resistance and legendary steadfastness, as embodied by our Arab 
people from south Lebanon to Palestine to Iraq.  This will establish 
a better future despite all the mobilization by the enemies of the 
homeland, Arabism, and resistance...." 
 
Corbin