US embassy cable - 05DAMASCUS5812

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DAMASCUS 005812 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/S:STHIBEAULT 
VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, DBENZE AND AFERNANDEZ, 
IIP/G/NEA-SA RWINCHESTER 
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC 
CENTCOM FOR CCPA 
 
E.O.12958:  N/A 
TAGS: KMDR, PREL, KPAO, OPRC, SY 
SUBJECT: Damascus Media Reaction: UNSC Resolution on Syria, 
Iraq, Palestinian Territories (11/3-6) 
 
 
1. Summary: Syrian papers reported that the Syrian judicial 
committee announced its headquarters and communication 
numbers to receive any information regarding the 
assassination of former Lebanese PM Al-Hariri, and that it 
held its first meeting, expressing hope that any person who 
has information about the assassination would inform the 
Committee, whether by coming to its headquarters or by 
telephone, fax or E-mail. Headlines featured the names of 
three judges who have been appointed to work with the 
Committee, Fatima Murad, George Tahhan, and Tayseer Qalla 
Awwad, and who confirmed that they will cooperate with the 
UN investigation commission and the Lebanese judiciary. 
Papers also reported continuing Arab and international 
criticism of Resolution 1636 and the US-Western anti-Syria 
campaign. 
 
On 11/5 papers reported Iranian President Ahmadinejad's 
message to President Asad expressing support of Syria in the 
face of pressures. 
 
On 11/4 papers reported a statement by UN Envoy Larsen 
confirming that Syria has accomplished withdrawal of its 
forces and security apparatus from Lebanon. 
 
End of summary. 
 
2. Selected Headlines: 
"Syria is committed to international legitimacy and 
continuing cooperation with the UN international 
investigation commission. Arab and international criticisms 
of the anti-Syria US-Western campaign continue: Why silence 
on massacres in Iraq and Palestine? Lucien Peterlan 
[Chairman of the Arab-French Solidarity Society]: Pressures 
on Syria increase Israeli threats in the region. Vladimir 
Dantsov [Chairman of the Middle East and Africa Studies 
Center at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy] 
The campaign is premeditated" (Government-owned Tishreen, 
11/3) 
"Larsen confirms accomplishment of withdrawal from Lebanon 
by Syrian forces and its security apparatus. Moscow: Russia 
is unconcerned about a new UNSC resolution against Syria" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 11/4) 
"President Asad received a telephone call from Iranian 
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who underlined his country's 
support of Syria in the face of pressures" (Government-owned 
Al-Thawra, 11/5) 
"President Mubarak praises President Asad's wisdom. 
Denunciation of pressures on Syria continues. A US plan to 
impose hegemony on the region" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 
11/5) 
"Syrian Judicial Committee announces its headquarters and 
communication numbers"(Government-owned Al-Thawra, 11/5) 
"In a press conference in Paris, Patrick Seale: Syria 
possesses all means to confront pressure" (Government-owned 
Al-Thawra, 11/6) 
"Stressing the distinguished relations between Syria and 
Lebanon, Lebanese FM Sallukh accuses Larsen of out-bidding 
Lebanese" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 11/5) 
"A mass rally for solidarity with Syria in Germany. We 
support Syria against all the conspiracies" (Government- 
owned Al-Thawra, 11/5) 
"Israel constructs a new settlement in occupied Jerusalem. 
One Palestinian martyred in Qabatiya" (Government-owned Al- 
Thawra, 11/5) 
"Mofaz in Washington to increase US-Israeli military 
cooperation" (Government-owned Tihsreen, 11/3) 
"US and British forces will remain in Iraq until the end of 
next year. US shelling of Al-Hueijeh. Killing of two US 
marines in Balad and Ba'quba" (Government-owned Tishreen, 
11/4) 
"A US soldier was killed in Balad. Washington is trying to 
obtain a new UNSC resolution to extend the mission of its 
troops in Iraq" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 11/5) 
"Iraqi Defense Ministry urges members of its abolished army 
to join the service. Seven marines killed in Al-Ramadi and 
Kirkuk" (Government-owned Tihreen, 11/3) 
 
"Carter: The Bush Administration has caused deterioration of 
ethical standards of US policy" (Government-owned Tishreen, 
11/3) 
 
"Thousands of Americans demonstrate, calling for ousting 
Bush" (Government-owned Tihreen, 11/4) 
 
3. Editorial Block Quotes: 
"Maintaining International Credibility" 
Muhammad Khair Al-Jammali, an editorialist in government- 
owned Al-Thawra, commented (11/5): "The absence of 
international justice led to the adoption of unfair 
Resolution 1636, which was built and prepared based on well- 
known Israeli incitement against Syria. 
"There are attempts to contain the United Nations through 
the policies of hegemony and pressure, to turn the 
international organization and its agencies into instruments 
to justify the plans to control the positions of influence 
and strategic resources of the world, especially in the 
Middle East." 
"The United Nations is doing nothing to implement hundreds 
of anti-Israel resolutions issued in the past 50 years. The 
international organization, under the influence of the 
policies of hegemony and containment, was driven by lies and 
fabrications invented by Israel and its supporters to 
falsely and unfairly portray Syria as a factor of 
instability in the region and a threat to world peace. 
"While the holocaust enjoyed full international attention, 
we heard no single resolution condemning the Zionist 
massacre of the Palestinian people and Arabs, a massacre 
that has been going on for more than half a century.... The 
Nazi massacre and the Zionist massacre are equal in their 
criminal nature and racist objectives.... 
"In its policy and positions, Syria is known as a peace- 
loving country, willing to achieve regional and 
international stability and using all its efforts for the 
sake of balanced international order and justice. Based on 
this policy and human and ethical positions, and despite the 
issuance of Resolution 1636 with the bad intention of 
distorting Syria's image and intensifying the pressure on it 
in order to force it to change its positions, and despite 
the injustice it suffered from the legally unfounded false 
accusations and wrong assumptions upon which the resolution 
was based, Syria will not change the nature of its 
commitment to international law or international 
resolutions, including Resolution 1636. It will cooperate 
with the international investigation commission and take the 
necessary steps to reveal the truth about martyr Al-Hariri's 
assassination until the world sees the full truth and with 
it that Syria was indeed the party that was most harmed by 
the heinous crime and that it is not the party that 
threatens the region's stability and the world's peace." 
"Syria Wants Nothing But the Truth" 
 
Ezz-Eddin al-Darwish, an editorialist in government-owned 
Tishreen, commented (11/3): "Although Syria is committed to 
Security Council Resolution 1636 and to international 
legitimacy in general, as proved by a long history since the 
establishment of the international organization, we must say 
in light of the developments in and about the region that 
what the United States and Israel want from Resolution 1636 
is to harm Syria, its positions, and its resistance, not to 
reveal the truth about the Al-Hariri assassination. 
 
"One could have said something else had the international 
investigation commission taken the judicial course it was 
supposed to take and steered clear of politics, preconceived 
positions, and 'visions' that are of no relevance to the 
investigation. 
"Had things moved in the right direction from the beginning, 
Mehlis' commission would have realized that Syria was the 
party most interested in knowing who assassinated Al-Hariri, 
because this directly serves its interest and because Syria 
is determined to help the world see the facts and background 
of the crime. But the Israeli factor strongly influenced the 
work of the commission through the American position, which 
is dedicated to serving Israel's policies.... 
"The international commission, which ruled out the Israeli 
factor in the assassination ..., built its investigations on 
the deceptive climate that prevailed in Lebanon. It based 
its assumptions behind the accusations on that spiteful 
climate and on reckless Lebanese witnesses who hold grudges 
against Syria, witnesses who made up their minds on the day 
of the crime, winning further approval from the Israelis and 
the Americans...." 
Seche