Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The Near and Middle East, Volume IX, Part 1

683.84A/11–2852: Telegram

No. 527
The Ambassador in Syria (Moose) to the Department of State¹

secret

Damascus, November 28, 1952—4 p.m.

386. Tel Aviv tel 779 to Dept Nov 13. Emb does not accept implication reftel that progress toward area stability and attainment mutually satisfactory Syro-Israel modus vivendi only possible if Syria envisions negots as directed toward peace. Proposal divide demil zone on de facto basis (Embtel 345, Nov 6) wld, if adopted, increase area stability by reducing Syro-Israel border tensions, and wld also build confidence for future more general arrangements. Wld not satisfy main Israel aims, but only way ultimately reestablish Syro-Israel peace and commercial relations is by several successive steps of which creation de facto frontier wld appear to be first. As such, modus vivendi wld be step toward peace whether or not so regarded by Syrians.

Initiative now with Israel for renewal contacts fol Oct 9 mtg (Embtel 354, Nov 12).

Moose

1. Repeated to Tel Aviv, Paris, Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, London, Rome, Ankara, and Jidda.