US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD2450

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002450 
 
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 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 
GOVERNMENT; BAGHDAD 
 
1. SUMMARY: The major themes in the daily newspapers on 
June. 9 were the Badr Organization's conference, Arab Sunni 
participation in the constitutional committee, and the 
developments of the security situation. END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
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A. "Familiarity" (Al-Sabah, 6/9) 
B. "The four portfolios" (Al-Bayyan, 6/9) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
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A. "Familiarity" (Al-Sabah, 6/9) 
 
Al-Sabah (independent) published a front-page editorial by 
Muhammad Abdul Jabbar about the National Assembly's 
meetings: 
 
"Transparency of political life in democratic regimes means 
that the citizenry must be informed about the decisions of 
the parliament. It is simply improper to make political 
discussions behind closed doors. In Kuwait, for instance, 
journalists and citizens that wish to attend parliamentary 
sessions are given their own private seats to view the 
events. In Britain, parliamentary meetings are broadcast 
live on public television. This way, millions of people in 
these countries are aware of what is being discussed in 
their respective parliaments. 
 
In Iraq, the National Assembly members are the elected 
representatives of the people. Iraqi citizens have a right 
to be informed about their representatives' discussions and 
decisions. As a result, the people will be able to monitor 
and analyze the performance of their representatives in 
order to ensure that they are living up to the people's 
expectations. There is no need for secret sessions of the 
parliament unless there is an urgent state of affairs that 
requires they be held secretly for the sake of protecting 
our national security. It is acceptable to make these 
particular sessions secret, but only if certain matters are 
discussed that cannot be disclosed outside government 
circles. 
 
Nonetheless, the Iraqi National Assembly is not an ordinary 
commission. It is a foundational assembly that is 
responsible for preparing the draft of the permanent 
constitution. The Assembly was elected for this very 
purpose. However, until now, the National Assembly's 
sessions and discussions have been far from public 
knowledge. At times, assembly members have disclosed 
information to the media outlets that are hungry for 
knowledge. This scenario only sheds light on the fact that 
public opinion is ignorant about what is really going on 
inside the National Assembly. The constitutional committee 
must address this issue because it is tasked with a mission 
that is more important than that of the National Assembly. 
For the sake of the political process and the transparency 
of democracy, the assembly members must allow journalists 
to attend the assembly's meetings. The Assembly must allow 
citizens to attend these sessions and it must broadcast 
these sessions live on Al-Iraqiyya television. In addition, 
the National Assembly must publish the transcripts of its 
sessions." 
 
B. "The four portfolios" (Al-Bayyan, 6/9) 
 
Al-Bayyan (affiliated with the Islamic Dawa Party led by 
Al-Jafari) published a front-page editorial about the 
developments of the political process in Iraq: 
 
"Without a doubt, the major developments that Iraq has 
witnessed after the elections have provided good reasons 
for the neighboring countries to reconsider their 
relationships with Iraq. Among these developments include 
the formation of an elected government and the continued 
forward progress of the political process. The neighboring 
countries must help Iraq by making progress in four major 
portfolios. The first portfolio revolves around stabilizing 
security because this issue provides the foundation of the 
Iraqi political process. Indeed, stabilizing security at 
the present time is extremely important because this stage 
will witness the constitution-drafting process, which will 
ultimately lead to stabilization in Iraq. The second 
portfolio for these neighboring countries is to open 
embassies in Iraq. This issue has become increasingly 
important, especially after the formation of an elected 
Iraqi government that has the ability to act on an equal 
footing with its neighbors. For this reason, we call on the 
neighboring countries to enlarge their diplomatic 
representation in Iraq. 
 
The third portfolio concerns the issue of debt. The 
neighboring countries must cancel the debts owed to them 
because these debts belong to the former regime. Our 
neighbors must cancel these debts because Iraq is unable to 
pay them. In addition, canceling these debts will improve 
Iraq's relationships with these countries. The fourth 
portfolio that requires action on the part of Iraq's 
neighbors is reconstruction. The neighboring countries will 
certainly benefit from participating in the reconstruction 
of Iraq and it will pave the way for further cooperation. 
If the neighboring countries do not participate in Iraq's 
reconstruction, other countries from outside the region 
will certainly seize upon this opportunity. In closing, we 
call on the neighboring countries to develop good relations 
with Iraq. We hope that these relationships will satisfy 
the willpower of the Arab people and ensure mutual Arab 
cooperation that is based on the unity of language, 
religion, and destiny." 
 
SATTERFIELD