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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0625/01 1720945
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210945Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3735
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6903
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4602
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3251
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7742
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1830
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5159
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1365
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 7482

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000625 
 
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, Lebanon, Syria/EU, Syria/Israel, 
Iraq (6/21) 
 
¶1.  Summary:   Syrian papers on June 20 and 21 quoted Amr Moussa, 
the Arab League Secretary General, as saying on June 19 that Arab 
foreign ministers, who met in Cairo last Friday, did not receive any 
document from the Lebanese delegation on weapons smuggling to 
Lebanon.  The papers concluded that this rebuts allegations of some 
parties in the Lebanese government regarding this issue. 
 
Syrian papers reported that the Syrian Minister of Expatriates, 
Boutheina Shabaan, discussed on June 19 with Egyptian Foreign 
Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit the situation of the Egyptian workforce in 
Syria and means of boosting ties between Syrian and Egyptian 
expatriates abroad. 
 
 
The papers also reported Kuwaiti FM Al-Sabah's statement describing 
the talks between President Assad and Kuwait's Crown Prince as "very 
productive." 
Discussions between Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf and President al-Assad 
focused on the Palestinian crisis, Lebanon and Iraq and the role 
that could be played by the two countries to prevent the escalation 
of these conflicts. 
 
Independent newspaper al-Watan published an AFP story about a 
Syrian-Russian deal to purchase advanced MIG-31E fighter-jets, but 
also quoted a Russian official denying such a deal, according to 
which Damascus would receive five MIG-31E jets and a number of MIG 
29MM2's. 
 
The papers also reported that Syria has closed a third border point 
between Lebanon and Syria in northern Lebanon.  This will leave 
al-Jdaydeh al-Masnaa as the only border crossing between the two 
countries. 
 
Papers also covered a meeting between Deputy PM Dardari and the EU 
Ambassador in Damascus.  The two discussed technical cooperation 
between Syria and the EU.  Ambassador Bontosoglou stressed the 
importance of Syrian-European cooperation, pointing out the 
necessity of taking full advantage of the aid provided by the 
European Union. 
 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah 
concludes a two-day visit to Syria... Kuwaiti PM:  'Talks were very 
constructive and fruitful.'" (government-owned Tishreen, 06/20/07) 
 
"British MPs and politicians call for an Israeli withdrawal from the 
Golan:  Syria is part of the solution and the West does not know its 
reality" (government-owned Tishreen 6/20/07) 
 
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa:  "Allegations on weapons 
smuggling to Lebanon are incorrect." (government-owned Tishreen, 
06/20/07) 
 
"President Assad reviewed Arab-German relations and regional issues 
with Schroeder;  Schroeder:  Syria has the right to recover the 
Golan" (government-owned al Baath, 06/21/07) 
 
"Damascus has not requested US mediation with Israel," (Independent 
al Watan, 06/21/07) 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
"Away from Chirac" 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
Amr Nassef, a commentator in independent al-Watan, wrote (06/20): 
"One does not have to exert too much effort to understand the 
relationship between the approach of Sarkozy's France and the 
assassination of the Lebanese MP Walid Eido, which was a strong, 
sudden blow to the French efforts which are trying to look onto 
 
Lebanon free from any influences that used, during Chirac's time, to 
put personal benefits prior to and above any other calculations. 
 
"The new French position could be seen in the French initiative that 
tried to get all Lebanese parties together in a dialogue and tried 
to be at the same distance from all the parties... 
 
"This can be understood as a normal diplomatic issue for a new 
administration, but what makes it different is the name of the 
French envoy who brought the initiative, and who was received coldly 
by the government team in Beirut - Jean-Claude Cousseran...,[who] 
used to be Ambassador to Damascus.... Cousseran is not a easy person 
to be subjugated by the sentimental issues that the ruling party in 
Lebanon is good at.  He has not shown a tendency to accept gifts and 
presents.  He seems to be in good harmony with the person who 
dispatched him [Sarkozy] for this mission and, maybe, for a more 
important one in the near future.  Thus, one can easily notice why 
there is a desire by some parties in Lebanon to exclude [the new] 
France from the Lebanese equation, even if it requires the sacrifice 
of a major loyalist to the majority...." 
---------------------------------- 
 
"In order not to turn Ramallah into Saigon and Gaza into Hanoi" 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
In an op-ed in government owned Tishreen, Former Syrian minister 
Mahdi Dakhlallah wrote (06/20):  "Each and every Arab has the right 
to wonder why Israel and the West would support one Palestinian 
party against the other.  This will harm the supported party and 
will entrap it in political commitments that will harm the 
Palestinian cause... 
 
"Are we going to witness in the future Israeli support for a 
Palestinian Saigon facing a Palestinian Hanoi, which will mean a 
bloody fight between the Palestinian brothers...? 
 
"Ramallah today is facing a difficult test:  it either works hard to 
restore Palestinian harmony or finds itself turning gradually into a 
Palestinian Saigon...,[while] Gaza turns into a Hanoi." 
 
Corbin