VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0338/01 0991033
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091033Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3271
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6699
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4439
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3054
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7590
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1659
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4993
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1203
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7328

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000338 
 
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: PREL KPAO OPRC SY KMDR
SUBJECT: Syria/US, UNRWA, Syria/Cuba, Syria/Lebanon Syria/Iraq, 
Palestinian Territories, Rice, Arab Summit, Iran (4/2) 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The Syrian press on Apr. 2 reported President Asad's 
meeting on Apr. 1 with members of  the US House of Representatives, 
Frank Wolf, Joe Pitts and Robert Aderholt.  Discussion at the 
meeting dealt with Iraq and the region in general.  The delegation 
also met with FM Mouallem on Apr. 1.  FM Mouallem stressed the 
importance of dialogue to resolve existing crises in the region. 
Mouallem also expressed Syria's readiness to continue its efforts to 
help achieve security and stability in the region. 
 
Papers also reported President Asad's meeting on Apr. 1 with Deputy 
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency 
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Karen Koning 
AbuZayd, who briefed him on the social services and aid offered by 
UNRWA to Palestinian refugees and the possibility of increasing such 
services and aid.  Mrs. Abu Zayed praised efforts by Syria to help 
Palestinian refugees.  Both sides agreed to continue cooperation and 
coordination within this framework. 
 
On Syrian-Lebanese relations, papers reported that Syria and Lebanon 
signed on Apr. 1 an agreement to rebuild 360 apartments in the 
southern Lebanese town of Qana and two other neighboring regions. 
The agreement results from directives of President Asad to rebuild a 
number of destroyed sites in South Lebanon hit by Israeli aggression 
last July. 
 
Papers also reported Deputy FM Faisal Miqdad's meeting on Apr. 1 
with Swedish Minister of Migration Tobias Billstrom, focusing on the 
situation in the region and means of cooperation between Syria and 
Sweden.  Billstrom reiterated the importance of the international 
community's assuming responsibility for Iraqi refugees and thanked 
Syria for its efforts to accommodate them. 
 
On Syrian-Cuban relations papers reported FM Mouallem's meeting on 
Apr. 1 with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla. 
 Talks dealt with bilateral relations and means of developing and 
boosting them.  Both sides discussed the important role that Cuba, 
in its capacity as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, is playing 
to preserve the interests of developing countries.  Parrilla 
reiterated the importance of the pioneering role that Syria is 
playing to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"President Asad reviews the situation in Iraq and the region with a 
delegation from US House of Representatives.  FM Mouallem:  The 
dialogue is to reach common denominators that will help find 
solutions to the standing crises in the region. President Asad is 
briefed on the social services and aid offered by UNRWA to 
Palestinian refugees, by Karen Koning AbuZayd, Deputy 
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency 
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.  AbuZayd praises efforts 
which are being exerted by Syria to help Palestinian refugees" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2) 
 
"VP Shara and FM Mouallem review the situation in the region and 
Latin America with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister" (Government-owned 
Tishreen, 4/2) 
 
"Swedish Minister of Migration Tobias Billstrom:  We support Syria's 
efforts to accommodate Iraqi refugees.  The international community 
must give full support to Syria in this regard" (Government-owned 
Al-Thawra, 4/2) 
 
"Syria signs an agreement with Lebanon to rebuild 360 apartments in 
south Lebanon" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 4/2) 
 
"Seven US soldiers killed in Baghdad.  Attacks in Baghdad and Mosul" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2) 
 
"Israel is to construct ten military bases in the Negev.  Merkel: 
Resuming cooperation with the Palestinian government is conditional" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 4/2) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
 
------------------------ 
 
"Secrets of the Summit" 
 
------------------------ 
 
Abd-al-Fattah al-Awad, Chief Editor of government-owned Al-Thawra, 
wrote (4/2):  "The meeting between President Asad and Saudi King 
Abdullah prior to the opening of the Arab summit in Riyadh was 
decisive for the success of the summit and the achievement of Arab 
solidarity.... Arab leaders had to reconsider Arab policies in light 
of the deterioration in the region and the attempts by the United 
States to impose its agenda and conditions on everyone.... 
 
"Condoleezza Rice did not present an American vision for a solution, 
to the Arabs she met with before the summit. 
 
"It appeared that the joint meetings offered nothing new, so, as a 
last attempt, she wanted to turn the Arab peace plan into 'an offer 
open for negotiations.' 
 
"Syria, therefore, made an effort to underline the main points of 
the plan in the resolution that called for its activation.... Arabs 
sensed the threats to the region and realized that the others took 
the region to the doors of hell.... 
 
"We Syrians should be proud that Syria was the star of the Arab 
summit and that its positions captured attention, as evidenced by 
the [Arab] return to its language and discourse...." 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
"Syrian-Saudi Summit Par Excellence" 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
Waddah Abd-Rabbuh, Chief Editor of independent Al-Watan, wrote 
(4/2):  "The Arab summit was a Syrian-Saudi summit par 
excellence.... Saudi King Abdullah's speech to the summit was 
identical with the Syrian political discourse, which has always 
called for united ranks and for the activation of Arab League 
agreements, especially the Arab Collective Defense Pact, and which 
has opposed any foreign interference in the affairs of the region, 
resisted the occupation of any Arab land, and supported all the 
resistance movements that have worked for liberation...." 
 
------------------------------- 
 
"What is New in Rice's Quiver?" 
 
------------------------------- 
 
Ahmad Suwwan, a commentator in government-owned Tishreen, wrote 
(4/2):  "US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated that the Arab 
countries must know that in order to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli 
conflict, Arabs and Israelis must exert more efforts to make 
progress during the peace process.... 
 
"This shows that Rice's statements, tour, and meetings were part of 
US attempts to get Arabs to amend the Arab Initiative and to cancel 
the repatriation right in response to demands from Israeli Prime 
Minister Olmert and other Israeli officials. 
 
"After Arabs turned down the Israeli demand, Rice tried to attract 
Arabs by embellishing the Israeli demand, throwing dust in the eyes, 
and claiming that the United States is trying to give momentum to 
the peace process. 
 
"Rice's statement indicates that she was trying to throw the ball 
into the Arab court by asking Arabs to respond to these weak, false, 
and useless efforts.  It is Israel that must be asked to show 
flexibility and to respond to these efforts, and as long as it 
occupies the land, Israel must be asked to put an end to 
occupation.... 
 
"Moreover, the United States asks the Arab side to recognize Israel 
and to sign reconciliation agreements with it even before the 
peaceful and political process succeeds.  This is an attempt to 
wrest recognition in return for nothing from Israel, which still 
occupies Arab territories.... 
 
"There is no doubt that the reported US sorrow over the failure to 
implement the Arab Initiative is a mere allegation.  The United 
States holds the Arab side responsible for putting the initiative on 
the shelf.  Rice is trying to dismantle the initiative and to cancel 
the provisions Israel does not want, so that it can become 
applicable in accordance with Israel's vision and maintain Israel's 
occupation of the Arab territories.... 
 
"Rice ignores the fact that the United States and Israel reject what 
has been approved in the initiative.  If not, why have they frozen 
the peace process, and why do they raise this uproar over US 
projects intended to serve the Israeli occupation, the latest being 
the New Middle East project?  The United States is to blame for the 
stalemate in the peace process, the serious consequences, and chaos 
in the region, particularly in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine." 
 
 
----------------------------- 
 
"Will Blair Take the Advice?" 
 
----------------------------- 
 
Maha Sultan, a commentator in government-owned Tishrin, wrote (4/2): 
 "British daily 'The Guardian' was absolutely right in its advice to 
Blair's government to steer clear of the extremist Cheney-Abrams 
wing in the US Administration and not to allow this wing to 
interfere in the crisis of the British sailors in Iran.... 
 
"The Guardian, like the British people, is not willing to see the 
Bush-Cheney-Abrams scenario in 10 Downing Street, especially since 
Americans themselves turned against this futile scenario and moved 
toward dialogue and negotiations to resolve their crises with 
others, especially in the region...." 
 
Corbin