VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0346/01 1341418
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 141418Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6363
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 1077
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0569
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0538
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0622
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0682
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

S E C R E T DAMASCUS 000346 
 
SIPDIS 
NOFORN 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA 
NSC FOR SHAPIRO/MCDERMOTT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2019 
TAGS: ETRD ETTC PGOV PREL PTER UNDP IZ SY
SUBJECT: SARG MESSAGING ON SANCTIONS RENEWAL AND FOREIGN 
FIGHTERS ARTICLE 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Counselor Tim Pounds for reasons 1.4(b,d) 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (C) The Syrian government's spin machine is in high gear 
following the May 7 renewal of E.O. 13338 and the May 11 
Washington Post article describing a Syria-based foreign 
fighter pipeline.  On E.O. 13338, Syrian Vice Foreign 
Minister Miqdad told a visiting UN Special Envoy to Iraq that 
the SARG had not publicly reacted to the story in recognition 
of the renewal's routine nature.  This message was echoed in 
a May 11 op-ed by a pro-regime analyst entitled, "Sanctions 
Renewed But Syria Understands."  When the UN Special Envoy 
suggested the SARG could do more to help improve Iraq's 
security situation by cracking down on foreign fighters, the 
Syrian diplomat blamed the U.S. and Iraqi governments for not 
providing actionable intelligence.  In response to the 
Washington Post's detailed account of the foreign fighter 
pipeline in Syria, "informed Syrian sources" told al-Watan, 
Syria's only privately-owned daily, that the article had been 
planted by the "Israeli lobby" in an effort to sabotage the 
improving U.S.-Syrian relationship.  End summary. 
 
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SARG Emphasizing Routine Nature of Sanctions Renewal 
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¶2. (C) UNDP Resident Representative Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed 
provided the Charge with a readout of UN Special Envoy to 
Iraq Stefan di Mistura's May 12 meeting with Vice Foreign 
Minister Faisal Miqdad in Damascus.  When di Mistura asked 
for Syria's reaction to U.S. sanctions being renewed for 
another year, Miqdad answered that the SARG had made a 
conscience decision not to make a public statement as a way 
of signaling SARG recognition of the renewal's routine 
nature.  The SARG also delivered this message through regime 
mouthpiece Sami Moubayed's May 11 editorial, "Sanctions 
Renewed but Syria Understands."  In a piece riddled with 
inaccuracies, Moubayed wrote that the Syrian regime had 
anticipated the sanctions would be renewed and assumed the 
Obama Administration would gradually reduce them over time as 
bilateral relations improved. 
 
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MFA Blames FF on Lack of Actionable Intelligence 
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¶3. (C) According to Ahmed, Vice FM Miqdad revealed to di 
Mistura that Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki would soon be visiting 
Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.  Di 
Mistura agreed that this was a positive gesture, but 
suggested the SARG could do more to help improve Iraq's 
security situation -- particularly in light of the recent 
uptick in violence.  Miqdad pointed out that the Syrian 
Ambassador to Baghdad was from a Deir Ezzor tribe with family 
in both eastern Syrian and western Iraq, so he had a personal 
stake in helping the GOI prevent foreign suicide bombers from 
killing Iraqis.  Shifting the blame back on the U.S., Miqdad 
complained that the SARG would be willing to act if only the 
U.S. and GOI would provide names and locations of foreign 
fighters before they carried out their deadly missions. 
Unfortunately, Miqdad postured, Syria only learned about 
foreign fighters after the fact. 
 
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SARG attributes WaPo article to an Israeli conspiracy 
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¶4. (U)  SARG messaging on foreign fighters continued in a May 
13 article in the privately-owned, pro-government daily 
al-Watan.  In response to the May 11 Washington Post article, 
"Terrorist Traffic Via Syria Again Inching Up," so-called 
"informed Syrian sources" characterized the article's 
allegation of increased foreign fighter activity through 
Syria as "unfounded."  The article further blamed the Israeli 
lobby for planting the article in an effort to sabotage 
Washington's improving relations with Damascus.  The Syrian 
 
sources said the timing of the article was "suspicious," as 
it coincided with (1) U.S. forces' failure to control 
escalating violence in Iraq; (2) the elevation of the 
Syrian-Iraqi relationship to the "strategic level" resulting 
from PM Utri's recent visit to Baghdad; and (3) the positive 
"atmosphere" of dialogue in the U.S.-Syrian relationship. 
 
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Comment 
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¶5. (S/NF) Despite their efforts to downplay their 
disappointment, many SARG officials and the Syrian "street" 
hoped the Obama Administration would at least ameliorate, if 
not entirely rescind, the executive order implementing U.S. 
economic sanctions as an early confidence-building measure in 
our policy of sustained engagement.  Our contacts have also 
been seized by the lack of any official U.S. language 
suggesting the Administration might review sanctions at some 
time in the future.  The SARG's public comments on 
U.S.-Syrian relations have encouraged a perception that 
bilateral ties are stronger than may actually be the case. 
The SARG's subdued reaction to E.O. 13338's renewal may be 
attributed to a fear of being seen as having been openly 
humiliated by the Obama Administration.  The fact that 
Moubayed writes for an English-speaking audience suggests 
that they are also trying to limit any escalation of the 
sanctions rhetoric with us. 
¶6. (S/NF) On foreign fighters, the SARG has predictably 
deployed two defensive postures.  To the Syrian public, the 
SARG blames an Israeli conspiracy.  To more sophisticated 
audiences, they blame the lack of U.S. or Iraqi intelligence 
sharing.  As we increase pressure on this issue, Washington 
can anticipate the SARG to re-employ these disingenuous 
arguments. 
CONNELLY