US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD2940

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002940 
 
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, CONSTITUTION, SUNNI 
PARTICIPATION, TERRORISM; BAGHDAD 
 
 
1. SUMMARY: The major themes in the daily newspapers on 
July. 13 were Deputy Secretary of State Zoellick's visit to 
Baghdad, the constitutional committee's preparations for 
drafting the constitution, and the latest developments of 
the security situation. END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------- 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
----------------- 
 
A. "The drafters of the constitution must be noble" (Ad- 
Dustoor, 7/13) 
B. "Killing Iraqis is a crime and those who protect the 
murderers are criminals themselves" (Al-Adala, 7/13) 
 
---------------------- 
SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
---------------------- 
 
A. "The drafters of the constitution must be noble" (Ad- 
Dustoor, 7/13) 
 
Ad-Dustoor (independent) published a front-page editorial 
by Bassem Al-Sheikh about drafting the constitution: 
 
"The deadline for completing the draft of the constitution 
is fast approaching. Unfortunately, there are still 
disagreements amongst the politicians regarding its 
content. Some of these politicians are threatening to 
boycott the constitutional process while others are 
exerting pressure on the committee to further their own 
nationalist or political benefits. These benefits, however, 
will come at the expense of the national public interest. 
They will also adversely affect the relationship between 
the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) and the Kurdish Coalition, 
especially with regard to the Kirkuk issue and applying 
Paragraph C of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL). 
 
Now that the fifteen Sunni members have joined the 
constitutional committee, they will have an effective 
decision-making role. At the present time, we are in need 
of noble committee members that will stop any attempt that 
could destabilize the democratic process in Iraq. However, 
many Iraqi officials are not paying any attention to the 
new constitutional members because they believe that these 
members were not elected. On the other hand, the presence 
of these Sunni members will put an end to the decision- 
making monopoly that was formerly enjoyed by the UIA and 
Kurdish coalition in the constitutional committee. 
 
The participation of the Sunnis demonstrates that all Iraqi 
sects want to take part in building new institutional and 
constitutional structures in Iraq. In addition, this 
participation will put an end to doubts about the 
legitimacy of the constitutional process. Therefore, the 
general principles of the constitution must be dealt with 
in a noble fashion because drafting the constitution is a 
national goal, not a means to benefit personal interests. 
This primary goal will lead us on the path to achieve other 
objectives that will serve to unite all Iraqis as one 
united country." 
 
B. "Killing Iraqis is a crime and those who protect the 
murderers are criminals themselves" (Al-Adala, 7/13) 
 
Al-Adala (affiliated with SCIRI) published a last-page 
column by Muhammad Al-Abdullah about terrorism in Iraq: 
 
"I can understand why Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi conducts all of 
these criminal operations against the Iraqi people. I can 
also understand why some Arab countries are encouraging Al- 
Zarqawi's and Saddam's followers to execute terrorist acts 
by providing them with shelter, financial support, and 
facilitating their infiltration into Iraq. I can understand 
these issues because I know that the terrorists are aiming 
to destroy the democratic project in Iraq. Today's 
terrorists were Saddam's former partners in carrying out 
his crimes against the Iraqi people. Once Saddam the rat 
was captured and placed into custody, these terrorists 
continued beheading and killing Iraqis in an attempt to 
hinder political progress in Iraq. 
 
Anyone who is involved in shedding a drop of Iraqi blood 
should be regarded as a criminal, regardless of his or her 
nationalist, sectarian, or religious identity. I am sure 
that Al-Zarqawi's and some Arab countries' anti-Iraqi 
attitudes are based on sectarian motives. It was these same 
motives that were behind the Arabs' silence in response to 
Saddam's crimes against the Shiites during his regime. 
However, I cannot understand why some Iraqis, who claim to 
be patriots, refuse to condemn the actions of Al-Zarqawi, 
despite the fact that he has publicly announced his 
campaign to kill Iraqis. This same group of Iraqis refuses 
to admit that explosions, car bombs, assassinations, 
kidnappings, and mass killings are acts of terrorism. 
Instead, they insist to refer to these operations merely as 
"violence." In addition, these Iraqis shamelessly allege 
that Iraqi security forces are abusing detainees and 
employing practices worse than those used during under 
Saddam's reign. They have also claimed that these security 
forces are terrorizing the Iraqi people more so than Al- 
Zarqawi's terror tactics. 
 
The one point that I cannot understand is why these groups 
are attempting to belittle the Iraqis who have lost loved 
ones as a result of the terrorist operations executed by 
Al-Zarqawi's and Saddam's loyalists. Without exception, the 
men who carry out operations for Al-Zarqawi and Saddam are 
all terrorists. Iraqis who refuse to condemn terrorism will 
be regarded as partners to these terrorists, despite their 
empty calls for slogans of patriotism and nationality." 
 
SATTERFIELD