Cablegate: Damascus Media Reaction: Unsc Resolution On Syria,

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

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

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