US embassy cable - 05DAMASCUS5122

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SARG DENIES HAVING THREATENED MURR

Identifier: 05DAMASCUS5122
Wikileaks: View 05DAMASCUS5122 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Damascus
Created: 2005-09-28 13:37:00
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Tags: PGOV PREL KPAO SY
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
O 281337Z SEP 05
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4604
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 
UNCLAS DAMASCUS 005122 
 
 
PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/PPD: DBENZE AND AFERNANDEZ, 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KPAO, SY 
SUBJECT: SARG DENIES HAVING THREATENED MURR 
 
 1.  (U) The official Syrian Press Agency (SANA) September 28 
published a denial of statements attributed to Lebanese 
Defense Minister Elias Murr in which he said that Syrian 
intelligence officials in Lebanon threatened him months 
before he was severely injured in a car-bombing assassination 
attempt.  Murr made his accusation in an interview he gave in 
Europe after the maiming of Lebanese journalist May Chidiac 
in a September 25 Beirut car bombing. 
 
2.    (U)  The SANA statement quoted an anonymous 
"information source" denouncing Murr's statements and calling 
them "lies and fabrications."  The source said the Murr 
statement contradicts "the simplest rules of credibility and 
facts."  The source also expressed astonishment that Murr 
would try to spoil the positive atmosphere created by Syrian 
cooperation with the Mehlis team investigating the 
assassination of Hariri.  The source was quoted as saying 
that Murr was guilty of joining the chorus of those "accusing 
Syria right and left." 
 
3.  (U) The SANA statement was carried on the front page in 
all three Arabic-language dailies, as well as on the front 
page of the English-language daily Syria Times (all 
government-owned). 
 
SECHE 

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