Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 3411 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone
Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AO AF AL AE ASEC AORC AJ AM AR AEMR AMGT APER AG AS AU AGMT AFIN ABUD ATRN ACOA AEC AX AMED ADCO AODE AFFAIRS AC ASIG ABLD AA AFU ASUP
BM BIDEN BO BR BU BEXP BRUSSELS BL BK BA BILAT BTIO BH BE BX BY BG BF BB BC BBSR
CU CH CO CI COUNTERTERRORISM CA CY CVIS CMGT CASC CJAN CE COUNTER CBW CG CLINTON CDG CIA CACM CDB CS CD CV CF CN CAN CIS CM CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS
DOD DJ DA DEAX DR DHS DOE DEA DK DISENGAGEMENT
ETRD EFIN EAID ES ECON EWWT EINVEFIN ELAB EU ETTC ENRG EUN EC EG EINV EXTERNAL ER ECIN EPET EAGR EIND ECPS EMIN ECIP EINDETRD EN EZ ET EUC EI EAIR ELTN EREL EFIS EINT ENVR ECA EINVETC ENIV EINN ENGR EUR ESA ELECTIONS ECUN
FR FMLN FARC FJ FINR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FBI
GG GM GOI GZ GTMO GV GH GA GE GT GR GTIP GCC GAZA
HO HURI HILLARY HA HU HR HUMAN HYMPSK HK
IR IZ IN IS IMO INTERPOL IT INRB IAEA ID IV ICTY IQ ICAO IPR IRAJ INRA INRO IC IIP ITPHUM IWC IO ISRAELI IRAQI ICRC IF ILC IEFIN INTELSAT ITALY ITALIAN
JO JA JOSEPH JAMES JUS
KDEM KIRF KNNP KN KISL KJUS KTFN KWBG KPAL KPKO KSCA KCRM KR KWMN KU KV KE KCOR KPAO KG KTIP KICC KBCT KSPR KHLS KTIA KMDR KGHG KUNR KS KFRD KIPR KAWC KPWR KCIP KSUM KWAC KMIG KOLY KZ KAWK KSEC KIFR KDRG KDEMAF KFIN KGCC KPIN KBIO KHIV KNUC KPLS KIRC KACT KGIC KRAD KCOM KMCA KHDP KVPR KDEV KPRP KCFE KOCI KTDB KMRS KLIG KGIT KSTC KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KOMC KO KTER KHUM KRFD KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KMPI KNPP
LY LG LE LH LU LI LO LOG
MTCRE MOPS MARR MO MASS MNUC MY MX MCAP MPOS MAR MD MZ MEPP MA MR ML MIL MOPPS MTCR MAPP MU MG MASC MCC MK MTRE MP MDC MEPI MRCRE MI MT MQADHAFI MAPS MUCN
NATO NL NI NZ NG NU NO NIPP NE NS NAR NPT NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NATIONAL
OVIP OTRA OPRC OSCI OTR OVP OREP ODIP OPDC OIIP OFFICIALS OSAC OAS OEXC OFDP OSCE OPIC OECD OPCW
PREL PHUM PGOV PINR PARM PBTS PHSA PTER PK PINS PSI PA PE PO PINT PL PSOE PU POL POLITICAL PARTIES PROP PBIO PECON PM PREF PAK POGOV PINL PKFK PGOF PMIL PTERE PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PNAT POLITICS PEPR
QA
RS RU RW RO REGION RP RIGHTS RICE ROBERT RF RFE
SP SCUL SA SNAR SOCI SMIG SY SU SR SENV STEINBERG SN SO SF SG SW SL SHUM SZ SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SI
TW TU TSPA TRGY TI TX TS TC TERRORISM TPHY TIP TBIO TH TR TT TO TFIN TD TSPL TZ TK TNGD
UK UNGA UN UP UNO UZ UNMIK US UG UNSC USEU UV UY USUN UE UNESCO UAE UNEP USTR UNHCR UNDP UNHRC USAID UNCHS
VE VZ VT VTPREL VN VM
WI WTRO WTO WA WMO WTRQ WHO WWARD
XY XW XF XA XG XT XM XR XS XL XK XH XC XZ
YM YI YE
ZP ZR ZI ZU ZB ZK ZF ZANU ZOELLICK

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 06DAMASCUS404, ANTI-EUROPEAN RIOTS HIT DAMASCUS, AS FOUR

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #06DAMASCUS404.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06DAMASCUS404 | 2006-02-05 14:02 | 2010-12-27 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Damascus

`

    VZCZCXYZ0001
    OO RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHDM #0404/01 0361436
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 051436Z FEB 06
    FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6862
    INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
    RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0612
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000404

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2015
    TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC SY
    SUBJECT: ANTI-EUROPEAN RIOTS HIT DAMASCUS, AS FOUR
    EMBASSIES ARE STORMED

    Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche, per 1.4 b,d.

    ¶1. (C) Summary: Mobs angered about cartoon depictions of
    the prophet Mohammed published in Europe ransacked and set on
    fire the Norwegian Embassy and the building housing the
    Danish, Chilean, and Swedish Embassies in Damascus in the
    late afternoon of February 4, destroying the first and
    heavily damaging the other three diplomatic missions. A few
    hundred Syrian riot police guarded the American Embassy
    against crowds of several hundred demonstrators, with no
    injuries or damage to property. Denmark has recalled its
    Ambassador and, along with Norway, is urging its citizens to
    leave Syria immediately. Despite any miscalculation, loss of
    control, or embarrassment it may have suffered, the regime
    seems to have benefited from the rioting with enhanced
    legitimacy in several ways. End Summary.

    ¶2. (C) Damascus February 5 awoke to the ugly aftermath of
    some of the worst rioting the city has witnessed in recent
    memory. The previous afternoon angry crowds stormed the
    building housing the Danish Embassy, as well as the Swedish
    and Chilean missions, ransacking all three and setting the
    building on fire. All three Embassies suffered extensive
    damage, with the first-floor Chilean Embassy suffering the
    worst. The Chilean DCM reported that the Embassy was
    completely destroyed by fire and vandalism. The streets
    outside were strewn with the embassy's official papers.
    Rioters were kept out of parts of the Danish and Swedish
    Embassies (except the waiting rooms) by security doors and
    reinforced glass.

    ¶3. (C) The mob then marched to the Norwegian Embassy, in the
    Mezzeh suburbs, and, after clashing with Syrian security
    forces hurriedly posted to defend the Embassy, tore down the
    security barriers and trashed the entire building. Rioters
    then set the building ablaze, gutting it entirely. Rioters
    at both sites raised the green religious flag favored by
    Hamas supporters.

    ¶4. (C) FRENCH EMBASSY SPARED: Rioters also tried to storm
    the French Embassy but hastily summoned riot police and other
    security forces used tear gas, water cannons, and truncheons
    to beat back the mob, which dispersed after two hours of
    volatile demonstrations. MFA Chief of Protocol told the
    Charge February 5 that SARG security forces had nearly lost
    control of the situation at the French Embassy as they had
    elsewhere. According to First Secretary Benedicte de
    Montlaur, the Embassy suffered no damage. De Montlaur
    attributed the lack of damage at the Embassy to the fact that
    the Ambassador lives on the Embassy compound, allowing the
    French to call for additional SARG protection more quickly
    than diplomats at the other three missions, which were closed
    for the weekend and empty. No looting or vandalism was
    reported anywhere except at the sites of the four diplomatic
    missions.

    ¶5. (C) THE AMERICAN EMBASSY: A few hundred Syrian riot
    police guarded the American Embassy against crowds of several
    hundred demonstrators. Although a few scuffles were
    reported, there were no serious attempts to penetrate the
    police line. No injuries or damage to property was reported.
    (See septel for RSO report of February 5 EAC.)

    ¶6. (C) DANISH EMBASSY REACTION: The Danish government has
    decided to recall its Ambassador to protest the SARG failure
    to protect its mission has decided to withdraw all
    non-essential personnel at the Embassy, including family
    members, according to a Danish diplomat. It is also
    encouraging all Danish citizens to leave Syria immediately
    and is helping to organize the evacuation via air transport
    later today.

    ¶7. (C) THE NORWEGIANS: The Norwegian Embassy's Admin
    Officer Marie-Louise Hansen reported on February 5 that the
    Embassy is also arranging to evacuate Norwegian citizens in
    Syria on flights out of Damascus International Airport.
    Hansen said that no decision has been made yet about whether
    the Embassy's diplomatic personnel would also leave. The
    Norwegian Ambassador was in Jerusalem when the rioting
    occurred. It is not known yet whether he will be recalled.

    ¶8. (C) THE SWEDES AND CHLEANS: The Swedish Embassy is not
    ordering any drawdown in personnel and had made no decision
    as of mid-morning about whether it would recommend
    non-official Swedes to leave the country, reported Swedish
    diplomat Eva Nillson. The Chilean DCM told Polchief that he
    had not yet received instructions from his government but

    that he expected it to come back with instructions to lodge a
    protest and demand extensive compensation. With only two
    diplomats resident in Damascus, he did not expect to see a
    recall or other personnel measure, especially since the
    Chileans were not specifically targeted but just happened to
    be the most accessible mission in the building with the
    Danes.

    ¶9. (U) THE SARG REACTION: The Minister of the Awqaaf and
    the Grand Mufti both issued statements condemning the riots
    and insisting that Islam encouraged dialogue as a way to deal
    with controversies between cultures over religious issues.
    The official Syrian press reported the incidents on the front
    pages of several Arabic-language newspapers and in the
    English-language Syria Times, emphasizing popular anger at
    the purported insults to Islam and the fact that the burning
    of the embassies occurred despite the extensive efforts of
    the SARG security forces. Only the Syria Times printed a
    photo actually showing the rioting in front of an embassy.

    ¶10. (C) When asked by the Charge to explain how the SARG had
    failed so miserably to protect diplomatic facilities, MFA
    Chief of Protocol Amir Smadi responded repeatedly that at
    least the SARG had protected the U.S. Embassy. He also tried
    to discount the damage suffered at the Danish and Swedish
    Embassies, but had nothing to say about the destruction the
    Chilean Embassy suffered. He noted that FM Shara'a had
    spoken with the Norwegian FM about the attack on the Embassy
    and had explained that the SARG had not expected
    demonstrations on the day they occurred. Smadi said the USG
    statement on the caricature of Mohammed issued several days
    before the rioting had been "very good, very balanced."

    ¶11. (C) SYRIAN CONTACTS REACT: Several of our contacts
    expressed shock and dismay at the violence. Typical of them,
    AP bureau chief Albert Aji told Polchief "I can't believe
    that Syrians did this." Many contacts insisted that the SARG
    had to have been involved in facilitating the initial stages
    of the demonstrations, noting that Syria is a police state
    where there is no right of assembly without government
    sanction. Many of the banners put up the day before the
    rioting, for example in Rawda Square, adjacent to the
    Embassy, had the look of official productions. Nearly all
    the banners had religious slogans, such as "Allah suffices
    you, he is all-hearing and all-knowing." A thirty-foot
    banner draped over the front of the biggest building near the
    Embassy carried a slogan, "I have not been sent to give
    curses. I have been sent as a mercy."

    ¶12. (C) SUSPICIONS OF SARG INVOLVEMENT: Civil society
    contacts noted that SMS text messages were sent to cellphones
    two days before, announcing a demonstration on February 4, in
    front of the Danish Embassy. These contacts also insisted,
    and an imam confirmed to Poloff, that the SARG (probably
    through its security services) had issued a "suggested"
    sermon for all imams to use in the mosques for the Friday
    prayers that preceded the Saturday rioting. Some contacts
    reported buses being sighted bringing in demonstrators from
    some of the rougher areas of Damascus, including the
    Palestinian camps at Yarmouk, although this could not be
    confirmed. One opposition contact said it was ludicrous to
    think that the SARG could not have prevented this rioting --
    at least earlier on -- if it chose to, noting that when Riyad
    Seif and several other recently released Damascus Spring
    detainees attempted late last week to hold a press
    conference, the government deployed "three hundred security
    officers" to prevent it. Islamist-oriented human rights
    activist Haithem Maleh insisted that it was SARG provocateurs
    affiliated with the security services, rather than Islamists,
    who had stormed the embassies and egged on the crowds.

    ¶13. (C) COMMENT: We concur with contacts that the SARG
    allowed these demonstrations to occur and almost certainly
    helped to facilitate them at the beginning. Somewhere along
    the way, the SARG, true to form, seems to have miscalculated
    and lost control. The end result left a deeply embarassed
    SARG to pick up the pieces and trying to explain its
    incredible security lapses to the disbelieving Europeans and
    Chileans. Despite any miscalculation, loss of control, or
    embarrassment, the minority Alawite regime seems to have
    benefited from the rioting, enhancing its legitimacy in
    several ways. It offered its religious Sunni population an
    opportunity to vent on an issue of visceral populist concern
    and it put itself in the vanguard regionally, demonstrating
    to the Arab street that Syria can be counted on to defend
    Islamic dignity. The rioting also helped the SARG in its
    recurring attempts to convey to the international community

    that "we are the only thing standing between you and the
    Islamist hordes." Some argue that the riots also serve as
    useful distraction from recent price hikes and general hard
    times.

    SECHE

`