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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAMASCUS 000004 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CODEL 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2037 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAL KDEM PHUM SY IS IZ LEB
SUBJECT: CODEL SPECTER MEETS WITH SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER 
WALID MUALLEM 
 
REF: DAMASCUS 2 
 
Classified By: Classified by CDA Todd Holmstrom for reasons 1.4 b and d 
. 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem 
pleaded for the United States not to hold Syria "hostage" to 
events in Lebanon or to resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict, while insisting to Senator Arlen Specter and 
Representative Patrick Kennedy that Syria itself was ready 
for peace with Israel.  He outlined the three steps necessary 
to reach an agreement on restarting an Israel-Syria peace 
track.  Muallem reviewed in detail Syria's cooperation with 
the French on an agreement in Lebanon, and said the Lebanese 
now must take action if the current crisis is to be resolved. 
 Muallem commented that the SARG was now done collaborating 
with the French to negotiate a Lebanese political solution. 
Discussion also covered Syria's relations with Hamas and 
Hezbollah, returning captured Israeli soldiers to Israel, 
restarting intelligence cooperation with the United States, 
Iraq, U.S. Embassy security, and human rights in Syria, 
including the recent jailing of members of the opposition. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) On December 29, FM Muallem met for 90 minutes with 
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Representative Patrick 
Kennedy (D-RI).  The Senator and Muallem had met previously 
on numerous occasions, both in Damascus and during Muallem's 
tenure as Syrian Ambassador in Washington, and share a warm 
rapport.  The Charg d'Affaires and an Embassy notetaker 
attended at the delegation's request. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Three Steps Toward Syria-Israel Peace 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) Specter opened the meeting by stressing the unique 
opportunity available to the Syrians to pursue a peace treaty 
with Israel thanks to a convergence of circumstances.  First, 
President Bush was ready to play a larger role in the peace 
process, according to Specter.  Second, Specter said Olmert 
was waiting for a signal from Syria to restart a Syria track. 
 FM Muallem reviewed his long personal involvement with 
Syria-Israel negotiations starting from 1991.  As a sign of 
the SARG's goodwill and desire to avoid meddling in internal 
Israeli politics, Muallem said Ron Lauder called him two days 
previously to tell Muallem he was empowered to restart their 
track-two discussions, but Muallem told him no, "you are 
Bibi's man." (Note: Ron Lauder, son of Estee Lauder, was 
involved in previous informal negotiations, which achieved 95 
percent of an agreement, according to Muallem.  End Note.) 
 
¶4.  (C) FM Muallem then outlined for Specter and Kennedy a 
three-step plan toward restarting peace negotiations with 
Israel involving Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan as the 
initial mediator. 
 
-- First, Israel must commit in advance to full withdrawal 
from the Golan to the June 4, 1967 line upon signing of a 
peace treaty.  Israel would ideally make this promise or 
"deposit" to the United States to hold as guarantor, but 
Syria was willing to consider another third party, according 
to Muallem. 
 
-- Second, Turkish PM Erdogan would broker two rounds of 
indirect preliminary discussions between Syria and Israel to 
set the modalities for face-to-face negotiations. 
 
-- Third, PM Erdogan would travel to Washington to inform 
President Bush the parties were ready to begin negotiations 
and ask President Bush to publicly announce sponsorship of 
direct Syria-Israel negotiations. 
 
FM Muallem said PM Erdogan had already started the process to 
restart an Israel-Syria peace track.  Muallem insisted 
because prior negotiations had resolved 95 percent of an 
agreement, a final peace treaty could be concluded quickly. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
DAMASCUS 00000004  002 OF 003 
 
 
Don't Hold Syria Hostage to Lebanon, Hezbollah, Hamas 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Turning to Lebanon, Specter and Kennedy told FM 
Muallem the USG rejected Syria's claim it had no influence on 
the current political crisis in Lebanon.  Specter said, 
"rightly or wrongly," Syria would be blamed for the 
continuing Lebanese political crisis.  To emphasize the 
SARG's efforts to positively influence the situation, FM 
Muallem said Lebanese President Lahoud asked Asad what he 
should do before leaving office.  Asad, according to Muallem, 
told Lahoud not to form a second government, which Lahoud had 
asserted he had the constitutional authority to do, but 
instead step down.  Muallem reviewed in detail Syria's 
cooperation with the French to facilitate an agreement in 
Lebanon.  He said Syria reluctantly entered into partnership 
with the French under three conditions, all of which were 
agreed to by the GoF. 
 
-- The result must be a consensus, national unity government, 
not majority rule. 
 
-- The United States must remain neutral and not interfere; 
Muallem said Syria would not "face Americans in Lebanon." 
 
-- France, as the mediator, would remain neutral and maintain 
a distance from all parties. 
 
¶6.  (C) Muallem characterized the resulting negotiations as 
"more difficult than peace talks with Israel."  He gave the 
Senator a copy of a Syrian/French proposal, supposedly 
concluded on December 28 and presented to parties in Lebanon 
the same day.  Muallem said it was now time for the Lebanese 
to take, leave, or modify the proposed agreement, saying it 
was "their country, their decision."  Muallem implied the 
SARG was now washing its hands of any further collaboration 
with the French on the current crisis. 
 
¶7.  (C) Muallem said it was a mistake for the USG to link the 
possibility of restarting a Syria-Israel peace track, or the 
Syria-U.S. relationship, to the situation in Lebanon or the 
activities of Hezbollah or Hamas.  He pleaded not to hold 
Syria "hostage to Sa'ad Hariri or Nasrallah." Muallem said 
once Syria had achieved peace with Israel, but not before, it 
would be able to play the role of peacemaker in the region. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
Foreign Fighters, Intelligence Cooperation, Human Rights 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶8.  (C) Muallem stressed Syria was directly affected by the 
lack of security in the region, citing the presence of Iraqi, 
Lebanese, and Palestinian refugees in Syria.  He highlighted 
Syrian efforts to prevent foreign fighters from entering Iraq 
from Syria and Syria's security cooperation with Iraq. 
Regarding intelligence cooperation with the United States, 
Muallem asked Specter how the SARG could resume this 
cooperation in the absence of any political dialogue? 
Growing increasingly agitated, Muallem expressed Syria's 
dissatisfaction with the hosting of the "so-called 
opposition" at the White House and President Bush's statement 
at his end-of-year press conference that he had long ago lost 
patience with the Syrian regime. 
 
¶9.  (C) The tenor of the meeting abruptly turned negative 
when Kennedy queried Muallem about human rights and freedom 
of speech, and asked why Syria had jailed members of the 
Damascus Declaration National Council (see reftel).  Muallem 
said Syria only arrested opposition members if they had 
"relations with foreign powers." Kennedy said he would send a 
letter protesting these arrests and the lack of transparency 
about the situation in Syrian prisons.  Muallem offered to 
respond with a letter citing Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, and 
the U.S. "flying prisons." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Return of Israeli Soldiers, U.S. Embassy Security 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
 
DAMASCUS 00000004  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶10.  (C) Specter and Kennedy pressed for the return of 
Israeli soldiers held by Hamas and Hezbollah, and asked what 
Syria could do to help.  Muallem said Egypt was negotiating 
with Hamas for the return of Israeli soldier Shalit, while 
the Germans were negotiating with Hezbollah on the return of 
Ron Arad and the two other soldiers captured by Hezbollah. 
Muallem said a prisoner exchange was the only solution and 
cited the 11,000 or more Palestinians in Israeli jails. 
 
¶11.  (C) Specter raised the issue of security for the U.S. 
Embassy and the proposed relocation to a more secure 
compound.  Muallem seemed surprised no action had been taken 
in the last year and asked a staff member to look into the 
issue. 
 
¶12.  (U) Codel Specter did not clear this cable prior to 
departing Post. 
HOLMSTROM