U.S. secretly backed Syrian opposition groups, cables released by WikiLeaks show

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U.S. secretly backed Syrian opposition groups, cables released by WikiLeaks show

By Craig Whitlock, Sunday, April 17, 11:01 PM

The State Department has secretly financed Syrian political opposition groups

and related projects, including a satellite TV channel that beams

anti-government programming into the country, according to previously

undisclosed diplomatic cables.

The London-based satellite channel, Barada TV, began broadcasting in April 2009

but has ramped up operations to cover the mass protests in Syria as part of a

long-standing campaign to overthrow the country's autocratic leader, Bashar

al-Assad. Human rights groups say scores of people have been killed by Assad's

security forces since the demonstrations began March 18; Syria has blamed the

violence on " armed gangs. "

Barada TV is closely affiliated with the Movement for Justice and Development, a

London-based network of Syrian exiles. Classified U.S. diplomatic cables show

that the State Department has funneled as much as $6 million to the group since

2006 to operate the satellite channel and finance other activities inside Syria.

The channel is named after the Barada River, which courses through the heart of

Damascus, the Syrian capital.

The U.S. money for Syrian opposition figures began flowing under President

W. Bush after he effectively froze political ties with Damascus in 2005.

The financial backing has continued under President Obama, even as his

administration sought to rebuild relations with Assad. In January, the White

House posted an ambassador to Damascus for the first time in six years.

The cables, provided by the anti-secrecy Web site WikiLeaks, show that U.S.

Embassy officials in Damascus became worried in 2009 when they learned that

Syrian intelligence agents were raising questions about U.S. programs. Some

embassy officials suggested that the State Department reconsider its

involvement, arguing that it could put the Obama administration's rapprochement

with Damascus at risk.

Syrian authorities " would undoubtedly view any U.S. funds going to illegal

political groups as tantamount to supporting regime change, " read an April 2009

cable signed by the top-ranking U.S. diplomat in Damascus at the time. " A

reassessment of current U.S.-sponsored programming that supports

anti-[government] factions, both inside and outside Syria, may prove

productive, " the cable said.

It is unclear whether the State Department is still funding Syrian opposition

groups, but the cables indicate money was set aside at least through September

2010. While some of that money has also supported programs and dissidents inside

Syria, The Washington Post is withholding certain names and program details at

the request of the State Department, which said disclosure could endanger the

recipients' personal safety.

Syria, a police state, has been ruled by Assad since 2000, when he took power

after his father's death. Although the White House has condemned the killing of

protesters in Syria, it has not explicitly called for his ouster.

The State Department declined to comment on the authenticity of the cables or

answer questions about its funding of Barada TV.

Tamara Wittes, a deputy assistant secretary of state who oversees the democracy

and human rights portfolio in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, said the State

Department does not endorse political parties or movements.

" We back a set of principles, " she said. " There are a lot of organizations in

Syria and other countries that are seeking changes from their government. That's

an agenda that we believe in and we're going to support. "

The State Department often funds programs around the world that promote

democratic ideals and human rights, but it usually draws the line at giving

money to political opposition groups.

In February 2006, when relations with Damascus were at a nadir, the Bush

administration announced that it would award $5 million in grants to " accelerate

the work of reformers in Syria. "

But no dissidents inside Syria were willing to take the money, for fear it would

lead to their arrest or execution for treason, according to a 2006 cable from

the U.S. Embassy, which reported that " no bona fide opposition member will be

courageous enough to accept funding. "

Around the same time, Syrian exiles in Europe founded the Movement for Justice

and Development. The group, which is banned in Syria, openly advocates for

Assad's removal. U.S. cables describe its leaders as " liberal, moderate

Islamists " who are former members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Barada TV

It is unclear when the group began to receive U.S. funds, but cables show U.S.

officials in 2007 raised the idea of helping to start an anti-Assad satellite

channel.

People involved with the group and with Barada TV, however, would not

acknowledge taking money from the U.S. government.

" I'm not aware of anything like that, " Malik al-Abdeh, Barada TV's news

director, said in a brief telephone interview from London.

Abdeh said the channel receives money from " independent Syrian businessmen " whom

he declined to name. He also said there was no connection between Barada TV and

the Movement for Justice and Development, although he confirmed that he serves

on the political group's board. The board is chaired by his brother, Anas.

" If your purpose is to smear Barada TV, I don't want to continue this

conversation, " Malik al-Abdeh said. " That's all I'm going to give you. "

Other dissidents said that Barada TV has a growing audience in Syria but that

its viewer share is tiny compared with other independent satellite news channels

such as al-Jazeera and BBC Arabic. Although Barada TV broadcasts 24 hours a day,

many of its programs are reruns. Some of the mainstay shows are " Towards

Change, " a panel discussion about current events, and " First Step, " a program

produced by a Syrian dissident group based in the United States.

Ausama Monajed, another Syrian exile in London, said he used to work as a

producer for Barada TV and as media relations director for the Movement for

Justice and Development but has not been " active " in either job for about a

year. He said he now devotes all his energy to the Syrian revolutionary

movement, distributing videos and protest updates to journalists.

He said he " could not confirm " any U.S. government support for the satellite

channel, because he was not involved with its finances. " I didn't receive a

penny myself, " he said.

Several U.S. diplomatic cables from the embassy in Damascus reveal that the

Syrian exiles received money from a State Department program called the Middle

East Partnership Initiative. According to the cables, the State Department

funneled money to the exile group via the Democracy Council, a Los Angeles-based

nonprofit. According to its Web site, the council sponsors projects in the

Middle East, Asia and Latin America to promote the " fundamental elements of

stable societies. "

The council's founder and president, Prince, is a former congressional

staff member and investment adviser for Pricewaterhouses. Reached by

telephone, Prince acknowledged that the council administers a grant from the

Middle East Partnership Initiative but said that it was not " Syria-specific. "

Prince said he was " familiar with " Barada TV and the Syrian exile group in

London, but he declined to comment further, saying he did not have approval from

his board of directors. " We don't really talk about anything like that, " he

said.

The April 2009 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Damascus states that the Democracy

Council received $6.3 million from the State Department to run a Syria-related

program called the " Civil Society Strengthening Initiative. " That program is

described as " a discrete collaborative effort between the Democracy Council and

local partners " to produce, among other things, " various broadcast concepts. "

Other cables make clear that one of those concepts was Barada TV.

U.S. allocations

Edgar Vasquez, a State Department spokesman, said the Middle East Partnership

Initiative has allocated $7.5 million for Syrian programs since 2005. A cable

from the embassy in Damascus, however, pegged a much higher total — about $12

million — between 2005 and 2010.

The cables report persistent fears among U.S. diplomats that Syrian state

security agents had uncovered the money trail from Washington.

A September 2009 cable reported that Syrian agents had interrogated a number of

people about " MEPI operations in particular, " a reference to the Middle East

Partnership Initiative.

" It is unclear to what extent [syrian] intelligence services understand how USG

money enters Syria and through which proxy organizations, " the cable stated,

referring to funding from the U.S. government. " What is clear, however, is that

security agents are increasingly focused on this issue. "

U.S. diplomats also warned that Syrian agents may have " penetrated " the Movement

for Justice and Development by intercepting its communications.

A June 2009 cable listed the concerns under the heading " MJD: A Leaky Boat? " It

reported that the group was " seeking to expand its base in Syria " but had been

" initially lax in its security, often speaking about highly sensitive material

on open lines. "

The cable cited evidence that the Syrian intelligence service was aware of the

connection between the London exile group and the Democracy Council in Los

Angeles. As a result, embassy officials fretted that the entire Syria assistance

program had been compromised.

" Reporting in other channels suggest the Syrian [Mukhabarat] may already have

penetrated the MJD and is using the MJD contacts to track U.S. democracy

programming, " the cable stated. " If the [syrian government] does know, but has

chosen not to intervene openly, it raises the possibility that the [government]

may be mounting a campaign to entrap democracy activists. "