VZCZCXYZ0004
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0383/01 1131150
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 231150Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3351
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6747
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4480
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3099
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7626
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1698
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5034
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1241
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7366

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000383 
 
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:  Arab Initiative, Syria/Iraq, Syria/ Russia, Syria/Israel, 
Lebanon, Palestinian Territories (4/19) 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Syrian papers on Apr. 19 reported that an Arab League 
Ministerial Committee on the Arab peace initiative held a meeting in 
Cairo on Apr. 18 with the participation of FM Mouallem to review 
efforts to activate the peace initiative in light of the Riyadh 
Summit.  The Committee called for formation of an Arab delegation 
including Syria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan, 
Morocco, and the AL Secretary General, to propose the Arab viewpoint 
on means of activating the Arab peace initiative.  The committee 
decided to hold continuous consultations on how to revive the peace 
process on all tracks to achieve a comprehensive settlement 
according to a timetable. 
 
Papers also reported that an international conference on Iraqi 
refugees wrapped up deliberations on Apr. 18 at the UN Headquarters 
in Geneva.  The participating countries called on the world 
community to shoulder responsibility in helping Iraqi refugees and 
the countries which host them until a political settlement is 
reached in Iraq that provides refugees security.  UN High 
Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said "the participating 
countries were unanimous in acknowledging the large burden Syria is 
bearing due to the arrival of Iraqi refugees who seek protection in 
Syria."  On the sidelines of the conference, Deputy Foreign Minister 
Faisal Miqdad met US Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey. 
During the meeting, the US official expressed appreciation for the 
positive Syrian spirit in dealing with the Iraqi refugee problem. 
She expressed her country's desire to continue dialogue with Syria 
to cooperate in solving this problem. 
 
On Syria-Russian relations, papers reported that FM Mouallem met on 
Apr. 18 with Alexander Sultanov, special envoy of Russian President 
Vladimir Putin.  Talks dealt with bilateral relations and regional 
developments in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine.  In a press statement, 
Sultanov stressed Syria's central role in achieving security and 
stability in the region and described the meeting as "very good." 
He said the two sides exchanged views on the situation in the region 
and Lebanon and how to help the Lebanese come out of the crisis they 
are currently facing.  The Russian official said that discussions 
also dealt with the Arab-Israeli conflict in light of the results of 
the Arab summit and the meeting of the follow-up committee in Cairo. 
 
 
Independent al-Watan on Apr. 19 featured a statement to Israeli 
radio by Israel PM Olmert on Apr. 18 saying that his country has no 
intention to attack Syria this summer.  He told the Knesset Foreign 
Affairs and Defense Committee that "Israel has no intention of 
attacking any Arab country this summer.  We will defend ourselves if 
we are attacked." 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Syria participates in an Arab ministerial delegation to promote the 
Arab peace initiative.  Arab Foreign Ministers call for an 
international conference to launch direct negotiations on all 
tracks" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 4/19) 
 
"Arab Foreign Ministers:  No to free normalization, no to amending 
the [Arab] Peace Initiative" (Independent al-Watan, 4/19) 
 
"FM Mouallem reviews bilateral relations and regional developments 
with Alexander Sultanov, Special Envoy of President Vladimir Putin. 
Sultanov:  Syria has a pivotal role in achieving stability in the 
region" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 4/19) 
 
"The Geneva Conference highly appreciates Syria's positions 
regarding the Iraqi refugees.  Deputy FM Miqdad and US Assistant 
Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey reiterate the importance of 
 
SIPDIS 
treating the Iraqi refugee problem" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 
4/19) 
 
"US Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey confirms to Miqdad 
the desire to continue dialogue with Syria" (Government-owned 
Al-Ba'th, 4/19) 
 
"Former Lebanese Minister Michele Smaha calls for Lebanese 
 
reconciliation over the International Tribunal.  President Emile 
Lahoud:  Violations by the al-Saniora cabinet have caused the 
critical situation in Lebanon.  Hizbollah:  Walid Junblatt is an 
expert in corruption and violation of law" (Government-owned 
Tishreen, 4/19) 
 
"Olmert denies his intention to attack Syria this summer" 
(Independent al-Watan, 4/19) 
 
"The UN Security Council calls for dispatching a mission to monitor 
Syrian-Lebanese borders" (Independent al-Watan, 4/19) 
 
"Israeli occupation forces attack Majal Shams in occupied Golan" 
(Independent al-Watan, 4/19) 
 
"Another catastrophic day in Baghdad:  Hundreds of casualties in 
several terrorist assaults" (Government-owned Tishreen, 4/19) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
"The Arab-Israeli Conflict Turns into Show Business" 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
Former Syrian Information Minister Dr. Mahdi Dakhlallah commented in 
government-owned Tishreen, on (4/19):  "The Arab-Israeli conflict 
has entered the domain of show business:  Twice-monthly meetings 
between Olmert and Abbas -- lights, cameras, handshakes, smiles, and 
sometimes kisses.... 
 
"But the philosophy of show business will not be confined to the 
Palestinian-Israeli 'relationship'.  It will cover the entire Middle 
East. 
 
"We will soon see activities by the Arab Quartet, and TV cameras 
will be there.  Meetings between this quartet and the international 
quartet, attended by Israelis and Palestinians, might also be held. 
Some Arab official will then find himself 'compelled' to talk with 
the 'Israeli side' on the sidelines of this or that meeting 'for the 
sake of the Arab peace plan.' This way, normalization will enter 
from the window after it found the door closed. 
 
"And then only the problem of Syria and the Lebanese and Palestinian 
resistance will remain.... 
 
"Here, Americans and Israelis will work hard to turn these 
negotiations, too, into show business.  There will be cameras and 
lights (didn't you, Syrians, ask for public negotiations?).  Surely 
there will be no cordiality and smiles, but this is no problem, for 
dramatic programs are also a kind of show business. 
 
"And as happened in the nineties, the negotiations will drag on 
uselessly, and we will again come out empty-handed.  In the 
meantime, normalization will have taken its course and become 
reality. 
 
"We might find ourselves in Syria without helpers. Arabs will tell 
us:  Here you are negotiating, and you must arrive at something. 
The United Nations will ask us to play a 'constructive' role. 
Forces of the Lebanese resistance and the Palestinian resistance 
will be in the position of a desperate defense of their existence, 
and their adversaries will be local forces, not Israel directly. 
 
"Show business is not all about lights and glamour. There are 
certain benefits for the United States and Israel to reap, mainly, 
scoring a political victory on the rubble of a military failure in 
Lebanon (July) and Iraq and devoting their time to 'the Iranian 
question.' 
 
"Syria's experience in the past five years has certainly been 
useful.  Even the European media admitted that President Asad has 
managed the crisis in an astonishingly smart and wise manner and 
emerged victorious.  I believe our success in the next difficult 
experience is also possible if we use new-old tools:  resistance 
 
backing the negotiations and the need to set a time-limit for any 
future negotiations." 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
"Marginal Results and Wrong Signals" 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
Mihriz al-Ali, a commentator in government-owned Al-Thawra, wrote 
(4/19):  "The meeting between Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and 
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not produce any serious 
results concerning the Palestinian People's fateful issues, such as 
the removal of the occupation, the return of the refugees, the end 
of settlement activity, the release of prisoners, and the future of 
Jerusalem.... 
 
"Such meetings are held in response to a US desire.... They give 
wrong signals that serve Israel.... 
The meetings polish the image of the Israeli government, which is 
practicing all forms of terrorism against the Palestinian people, 
and improve Olmert's popularity, which has hit rock bottom.  They 
also give the world public the impression that the peace process 
between Palestinians and Israelis is moving in the right direction, 
which conflicts with the essence of the Israeli policy, a policy 
based on the continuation of settlement activity, attempts to impose 
partial solutions and separate deals unilaterally, and rejection of 
final-status negotiations and discussion of any substantive issue of 
concern to the Palestinian people.... 
 
"Such meetings will not enable the Palestinian people to regain 
their legitimate rights.  Rather, they serve Israel's needs and 
objectives of perpetuating the occupation and evading the 
requirements of a just and comprehensive peace...." 
 
------------------------------ 
 
"Lebanon, a Different Destiny" 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Waddah Abd-Rabbuh, Chief Editor of independent 
al-Watan, commented (4/19):  "When the anti-Syria forces in Lebanon, 
supported by the French and American presidents, failed in their 
efforts to isolate Syria on the Arab and international levels, they 
changed their tactics and turned to the UN Security Council to 
establish the International Tribunal on the al-Hariri assassination 
under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter.... 
 
"This means not only internationalizing the Lebanese political 
situation, but also mortgaging the entire Lebanese foreign policy to 
the superpowers that control the Security Council.... 
 
"The internationalization of the crisis would paralyze Lebanon 
politically, economically, and socially for months and perhaps years 
and foil Arab attempts to find a solution to the crisis...." 
 
Corbin