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DE RUEHDM #0572/01 1621147
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O 111147Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3660
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6869
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4579
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3222
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7720
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1804
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5136
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1342
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7463

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000572 
 
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:  Palestinian Territories, Syria/Lebanon, Syria/Israel, 
Syria/France/US, G8 Summit, Iraq (6/11) 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Syrian papers on June 11 reported that the Arab League 
on June 10 renewed its condemnation of the US congressional 
resolution which expressed support for Israel in its continued 
occupation of Jerusalem, describing the resolution as a flagrant 
violation of international law.  Papers featured a statement by 
Mohammad Sbeih, Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League for 
Palestinian Affairs, that "With this resolution, the US congress has 
thrown aside all previous resolutions regarding occupied Jerusalem; 
thus the US has lost credibility in the Middle East and the world." 
Sbeih held the US responsible for what is going on in occupied 
Jerusalem. 
 
On Syrian-Lebanese relations, papers reported that Foreign Minister 
Mouallem met on June 10 with a delegation from the Syrian Social 
Nationalist Party, headed by Secretary General Ali Qansoh.  The 
meeting focused on recent regional developments in Lebanon, Iraq, 
Palestine and Syrian-Lebanese relations. 
FM Mouallem confirmed Syria's keenness to ensure Lebanon's stability 
and its support of what is agreed upon by the Lebanese people 
without foreign interference.  Members of the delegation reiterated 
the importance of Syria's regional role in achieving stability and 
security, pointing to Syria's constant support of Lebanon in all 
fields.  Later, Qansoh expressed his appreciation for Syria's 
national stances and its role in Lebanon in past decades, as well as 
its concern for civil peace, national unity and stability in 
Lebanon.  Qansoh said that his meeting with  FM Mouallem dealt with 
political developments in the region in general and in Lebanon in 
particular, pointing out the support that is offered by Syria to the 
Lebanese to achieve harmony among themselves that would lead to 
solving the current political crisis. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Bkhitan, Otri, and Mouallem receive a delegation representing the 
Syrian Social Nationalist party in Lebanon.  Kanso:  Syria supports 
a real Lebanese accord" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 6/11) 
 
"The Arab League denounces the decision of the US Congress to 
support the continued Israeli occupation of Jerusalem:  The US has 
no credibility" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 6/11) 
 
"Violent clashes in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp. The Lebanese 
opposition holds the governing team in Lebanon responsible for the 
prolonged crisis.  Fatah al-Islam: Our organization has no link with 
Syria" (Government-owned Tishreen, 6/11) 
 
"Israel reiterates threats under the pretext of the Kisovim 
operation.  A truce agreement reached between Fateh and Hamas" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 6/11) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
---------------- 
 
"Peace, Suddenly" 
 
---------------- 
 
Waddah Abd-Rabbuh, Chief Editor of independent al-Watan, wrote 
(6/11):  "As Israel suddenly turns into a peaceful state that is 
committed to UNSC resolutions, this means that it has to carry out 
resolutions 242 and 338 without delay, procrastination or 
preconditions.... 
 
"If Olmert and Netanyahu are really serious about peace, which is 
unlikely, they must immediately announce unconditional and full 
withdrawal from the occupied Golan in implementation of Security 
Council resolutions and convince Israelis that these resolutions are 
binding and that Israel cannot continue its occupation of the lands 
of others.... 
 
"The talk about support for 'terrorism' and Hizballah and about the 
dismantling of the Syrian-Iranian track and other obvious political 
maneuvers become meaningless when there are binding international 
 
resolutions.... 
 
"Some Israelis today say that war is coming and that Israeli cannot 
accept defeat, will not negotiate peace on a weak status and will 
enflame the whole region before sitting at the negotiating table. 
This theory seems more convincing than other theories circulated by 
the Israeli press, especially as it justifies the 'sudden 
inclination to peace' that Olmert and Netanyahu talk about...." 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
"Which Route Will Olmert Chose, War or Peace?" 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
Marwan Qabalan, a commentator in independent al-Watan, wrote (6/11): 
 "The confusion in Israel over the issue of war and peace is due to 
domestic and foreign factors, such as the divisions in Israel and 
the American position.... 
 
"Olmert's weak government, which is managed by remote control from 
Washington, is unable to conclude peace but is certainly able to 
launch war if it receives a green light.... Therefore it is better, 
at this stage, to turn less attention to what is happening in Israel 
and more attention to what is happening in Washington, where the 
decisions of war and peace are made, as the recent Lebanon war 
showed...." 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
"Sarkozy and Difference with Bush" 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
Muhyi-al-Din al-Muhammad, a columnist in government-Tishreen, wrote 
(6/11):  "Press reports  related differences between US President 
George Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy over diplomatic 
contacts with Syria.... 
 
"Sarkozy's statement on the sidelines of the G-8 summit that he does 
not rule out contacts with Syria if this helps ensure Lebanon's 
independence and finding the killers of former Lebanese Prime 
Minister Rafiq al-Hariri does not indicate a radical change in 
French policy [toward Syria] as much as it shows that the whole 
world can no longer blindly accept the falsehoods that the US 
Administration has tried to promote over the past six years.  The 
French president's statement also shows French skepticism about the 
accusations against Syria over the al-Hariri assassination and the 
all the security incidents that fraternal Lebanon has witnessed in 
the past three year.... 
 
"There are many reasons that make Sarkozy and other world leaders 
more able to announce their disagreement with, if not opposition to, 
the US Administration's policy. 
 
"These reasons include the domestic American opposition to the 
administration's policies and the fact that the countdown for Bush's 
days in the White House has started without him fulfilling any of 
his promises to the world, especially with regard to the fight 
against terrorism. 
 
"Bush's anti-terrorism policy created appropriate atmospheres for 
the growth of terrorism.... Even with regard to Lebanon and the 
accusations by some Lebanese that Syria is destabilizing Lebanon, 
events and facts have proven that Lebanon is full of terrorist 
groups and extremist takfiri organizations that are blessed by the 
same Lebanese parties that level unsubstantiated accusations against 
Syria.  It was also proven that US Vice President Dick Cheney is 
involved in funding some of the takfiri groups that are carrying out 
terrorist operations on Lebanese territory.  And perhaps some of 
these operations are encouraged by those who call themselves 'the 
majority' so that Syria can be falsely blamed.... 
 
"Yes, the opposition to Bush's positions and policies by Americans 
and by many world leaders indicates that the US Administration's 
failed policy has been exposed as a policy that has tried to violate 
 
world and impose American hegemony through military force or 
economic and political pressure.  As for Syria, which adopts a 
clear, transparent, and objective approach, it fully trusts that the 
deception that the Bush administration has practiced against it will 
be exposed, no matter how long it takes." 
 
-------------------------- 
"Borg on Defeating Hitler" 
 
-------------------------- 
 
Ali Nasrallah, a commentator in government-owned    Al-Thawra, wrote 
(6/11):  "Former Israeli Knesset Speaker Abraham Borg's statements 
in which he likened Israeli society to Nazi society and said the 
Israeli entity contains within itself the seeds of its own 
destruction, are important and interesting. 
 
"The remarks help uphold facts that Washington and other forces 
wanted to hide.... They also help revive the UN resolution that 
equates Nazism with Zionism, which effectively places Israel once 
again on the beginning of the track of disappearance and 
effacement...." 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
"The G-8 Summit Surprises the World" 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
Ahmad Dawwa, an editorialist in government-owned    al-Thawra, wrote 
(6/11):  "The G-8 Summit surprised the world.  Its statement is not 
worth the ink with which it was written.... 
 
"The summit offered no solutions to any of the world's problems.... 
It is disappointing that the G-8 leaders dealt with the Arab-Zionist 
conflict in a way that equated the executioner with the victim, the 
oppressor with the oppressed, and the occupier with the people who 
are seeking freedom and expulsion of the occupation.... 
 
"This is a retreat on the part of the G-8 leaders with regard to the 
issue of peace in the Middle East.... It encourages Israel to reject 
peace.... Leaders of the region must read the results of the G-8 
summit carefully.... 
 
"The G-8 statement is not promising.  Indeed, it opens the door wide 
for further international tension and, consequently, leads to 
international instability, especially in the region, the leaders of 
which no longer have an excuse to continue to leave it as a card in 
a game played by the superpowers." 
 
Roebuck