US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD2442

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 002442 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, NEA/PPD, NEA/PPA, NEA/AGS, INR/IZ, 
INR/P 
E.0. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, KPAO, IZ, Media Reaction 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ AL-JAFARI POLITICAL PROGRAM, 
CONSTITUTION; BAGHDAD 
 
 
1. SUMMARY: The major themes in the daily newspapers on 
June 8 were the security and political situations. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
----------------- 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
----------------- 
 
A. "Al-Jafari needs a rest" (Al-Ittihad, June 8) 
B. "The language of the constitution " (Al-Mashriq, June 8) 
 
---------------------- 
SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
---------------------- 
 
A. "Al-Jafari needs a rest" (June 8) 
 
Al-Ittihad (affiliated with PUK) published a fifth-page 
editorial by Faryad Rawanduzi about the Al-Jafari 
government's political program: 
 
"What will happen to the Iraqi transitional government if 
Al-Jafari continues administering his government this way? 
I think Al-Jafari should reread Articles 24 and 25 of the 
TAL. He must ask for legal advice to help explain to him 
the role of the Prime Minister.  The Prime Minister is a 
member of the government.  Al-Jafari is acting like he is 
the government.  He should remember that he does not govern 
the entire country.  Al-Jafari must understand that he 
cannot make decisions by himself.  He has to discuss any 
decision with the Kurdish Alliance, which is an ally of the 
UIA. Paragraph A of Article 24 applies to the current 
government. 
 
Everyone knows that Al-Akhdar Al-Ibrahemi formed the former 
Iraqi government. Hence, that government lacked harmony. 
The current government was democratically elected.  And if 
this government wants to continue functioning properly, Al- 
Jafari must reread the sixth paragraph of the agreement 
between the Kurdish Alliance and UIA. 
 
Al-Jafari's political program showed shortsightedness in 
its handling of sensitive portfolios. The government's 
political program must be prioritized according to what is 
best for the people. It must not be established according 
to personal visions. I think Prime Minister Dr. Al-Jafari 
needs time to rest in order to review his visions and ideas 
because he is not a leader of a specific political party 
but the Prime Minister of Iraq." 
 
B. "The language of the constitution" (June 8) 
 
Al-Mashriq (independent) published a last-page editorial by 
Dr. Hadi Nu'man Al-Hiti about the constitution: 
 
"Although the constitution is not subject to any one 
particular authority, the drafting of the constitution is 
subject to many different authorities.  The drafting 
committee has a chairman and a deputy and members.  The 
draft that they were assigned to work on remains only a 
draft until the people approve it. 
 
There are those that say that in many situations the people 
are just like children.  Children always give their 
acceptance or refusal of a situation before they understand 
the context of the situation. Therefore, if there is a 
disagreement on forming the drafting committee, it is a 
family conflict. 
 
There is no need for ethnic power sharing in this committee 
formation. It is best to form this committee by using legal 
specialists, political specialists, and open-minded elites. 
This constitution is to be in the language of the law and 
not in the language of militias and separate political 
parties.  The print and television media is the field for 
the language of the militias and the political parties; the 
language of the constitution should be a scientific 
language, because it is very important." 
 
JEFFREY