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DE RUEHDM #0169/01 0521434
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O 211434Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2999
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6591
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4358
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2971
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7526
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RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7261

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000169 
 
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: Peace Process, Lebanon, Syria/Iran, Syria/Iraq, 
Abbas-Olmert-Rice Meeting (2/21) 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Syrian papers on Feb. 21 featured statements on the 
importance of achieving peace in the Middle East and boosting the 
peace process.  The papers featured an article published by Spanish 
newspaper El-Pais on Feb.20 which said that Spanish PM Zapatero and 
Italian PM Prodi stressed the necessity of holding an international 
conference to achieve peace in the Middle East through dialogue and 
negotiations.  The two PMs hailed the Mecca Accord between Hamas and 
Fateh, referring to their decisive stance to help resume 
negotiations on the Palestinian- Israeli track.  Papers also cited 
another statement by Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi in a 
meeting on Feb. 20 at the Italian Embassy in the Vatican with a 
Vatican delegation headed by Vatican Prime Minister Cardinal 
Tarcisio Bertone.  PM Prodi reiterated the importance of rallying 
joint efforts to boost Middle East peace and face the problems of 
developing countries in cooperation with the UN and the EU. 
 
The Director General of the Contemporary Strategic Studies Center in 
Russia, Rejeb Savarov, also underlined that the peace process in the 
Middle East will continue to be a failure and unsuccessful without 
Syria.  "Ignoring the Syrian role in the Middle East is one of the 
main reasons that blocked peace talks," the Russian Expert said on 
Feb. 20 in an interview by Russian TV Agency (Vesti).  Savarov 
underscored that Russia is one of the main factors in the Middle 
East, so "any talks on the region will be unfruitful without Russian 
participation."  "Despite the background of US failure in Iraq and 
Afghanistan and with the increasing opposition to its policy in the 
region and in the world, America still wishes to obtain a success in 
the Middle East, but its conditions are unrealistic, because it 
seeks to protect Israel," Savarov concluded. 
 
On the Lebanese issue, papers reported that Lebanese President Emile 
Lahoud voiced full support on Feb. 20 for every initiative aimed at 
solving the Lebanese political crisis.  During a meeting with 
Lebanese ex-premier Salim al-Hoss, Lahoud called upon the Lebanese 
to unify ranks in facing all foreign plots targeting their national 
unity.  For his part, al-Hoss reviewed with Lahoud results of his 
visits to Syria and Saudi Arabia, describing the visits as positive. 
 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Spanish PM Zapatero and Italian PM Romano Prodi reiterate the 
importance of holding an international conference on Middle East 
peace.  Moscow:  the tripartite meeting did not result in any 
decision" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/21) 
 
"Israeli Foreign Minister Livini opposes dialogue with Palestinians, 
and Condoleezza Rice markets this decision in Arab countries" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 2/21) 
 
"Former Lebanese Premier Salim al-Hoss:  Lebanon is on the verge of 
explosion - the government is the reason.  The Lebanese opposition 
holds the governing team responsible for blocking initiatives" 
(Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/21) 
 
"Lebanese anger at US intervention:  The current government is 
responsible for foiling initiatives" (Government-owned Tishreen, 
2/21) 
 
"Blair announces withdrawal of British troops from Iraq" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 2/21) 
 
"Tehran is ready to offer guarantees.  Chief of International Atomic 
Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohammed El Baradei meets with Iranian Chief 
Nuclear Negotiator Ali Larijani, who invites the West for dialogue: 
Iran has reached an advanced technological stage;  no return to the 
past" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 2/21) 
 
"US senior officials unveil an attack plan against Iran" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 2/21) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
--------------- 
 
 
"In One Trench" 
 
--------------- 
 
Omar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote 
(2/21):  "When Syria, more than 28 years ago, began establishing the 
best of relations with Iran as a friendly country supporting Arab 
causes..., many in the Arab world were apprehensive about that 
Syrian approach.  Some even blamed Syria, but they later 
acknowledged the soundness of its position and the accuracy of its 
strategic vision, stressing that Iran is an integral part of the 
region's Arab and Islamic body.  And because Iran has that 
characteristic, it was placed within the range of the 
American-Israeli plan, which targets the region from Lebanon to 
Afghanistan. 
 
"This targeting, which reached the stage of direct occupation of 
Iraq and imposition of siege on the region by fleets and warplanes, 
proved that Syria and Iran were right:  The next stage will be more 
dangerous if the repercussions of the past few years are not heeded 
by everyone.  The colonial plans are prepared in Palestine, Lebanon, 
Iraq, and Afghanistan, and they set their objectives on the basis of 
division of the Islamic world and sedition among Muslims.  This 
means that the situation is very delicate and tolerates no mistakes 
or rifts.  Syria and Iran realized those hostile scenarios, and this 
led to cooperation and coordination between the two countries on the 
highest levels to confront the dangers that threaten not only Syria 
and Iran and the region, but also the Arab and Islamic nations at 
large...." 
 
--------------------------- 
 
"The Pirate Wants Dialogue" 
 
--------------------------- 
 
Abd-al-Fattah al-Awad, Chief Editor of government-owned Al-Thawra, 
wrote (2/20):  "The United States is like a pirate who threw people 
into the sea and then started shouting for people to come save them! 
 What is even worse is that this pirate is shouting all kinds of 
sympathetic and human words:  Please come save these people;  I 
appeal to you in the name of compassion to come help them...! 
 
"In its call for dialogue with Damascus over the issue of Iraqis in 
Syria, the US wants to discuss the consequences only.  It wants to 
focus on the result, or even part of the result, and ignore the 
cause.  It wants to discuss the symptoms, not the disease.  The 
harmful disease is the presence of the occupation.... 
 
"Simply put, the dialogue that Syria wants is a dialogue that covers 
all issues, from Palestine to Iraq to Lebanon to every other issue 
of concern to the Arab countries.... 
 
"US officials always say that Syria knows what it must do.  But the 
problem is that the Bush Administration does not know what it must 
do.  What is worse, it wants others to do what it must do.... 
 
"The Syrian policy insists on a serious and thorough dialogue on all 
issues of the region without exception.  It focuses on the reasons 
and wants to address the root causes of the problems, not just their 
consequences and repercussions. 
 
"The attempt to dwarf the Iraqi issue by turning it into merely a 
humanitarian problem that concerns refugees is less than an attempt 
to throw dust in the eyes...." 
 
-------------------- 
 
"Chance for Testing" 
 
-------------------- 
 
Sa'id Musallam, an op-ed writer in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote 
(2/21):  "Rice and Olmert announced before their meeting that the 
United States and Israel would boycott the forthcoming Palestinian 
 
government. Therefore, the meeting produced disappointing results, 
which is not new.... What is important now is how the world is going 
to react. 
 
"What will be the reaction of the European, Islamic, and Arab 
countries that adopted the Mecca Accord and supported the national 
unity government that will result from it...? 
"What will be the position of Russia, China, Germany, and the United 
Nations in the Quartet meeting that will be held within a few days 
in the German capital?" 
 
"Will the US Administration be convinced of the need to respect the 
Palestinian people's choices and remove the siege on them?  And, 
finally, who will protect the agreement between brothers from the 
penetration of the hawks who are thirsty for sedition, infighting, 
and divisions in our region?" 
 
"This is a real test for the main forces in the world and a chance 
to learn the truth and say it.  Is there room for justice?" 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
"Meeting for the Sake of Meeting" 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
Ghazi al-Dada, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote 
(2/21):  "The Abbas-Olmert-Rice meeting was characterized by a great 
deal of talk and little action:  total absence of the main and 
pressing Palestinian issues, such as occupied Jerusalem, refugees, 
and the independent state, and strong presence of the repeated 
impossible Israeli conditions that are wrapped as 'Quartet 
conditions' and of the negative and vague American position.... 
 
"The preconceived Israeli positions, which are identical with the 
American positions, doomed the meeting to failure in advance and 
rendered it void before it started.... 
 
"In the full absence of any tangible results from the trilateral 
meeting and the strong presence of the absolute American support for 
Israel, Tel Aviv will continue to plant mines in the way of 
formation of the Palestinian government.  And after the formation of 
this government, Israel will do everything it can to maintain the 
siege on the Palestinian people in an attempt to bring the 
Palestinians back to the climate of tension.... Palestinians must 
show maximum vigilance to foil these Israeli attempts...." 
 
Corbin