US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD3075

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003075 
 
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 AND SUNNI 
ASSISSINATIONS, SADDAM TRIAL; BAGHDAD 
 
 
1. SUMMARY: The major themes in the daily newspapers on 
July 25 were the constitutional committee's preparations 
for the referendum, drafting the constitution, and the 
latest developments of the security situation. END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
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A. "Is it assassination of individuals or attitudes?" (Al- 
Ittihad, 7/25) 
B. "Saddam's trial is a national demand" (Al-Bayyan, 7/25) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
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A. "Is it assassination of individuals or attitudes?" 
(7/25) 
 
Al-Ittihad (affiliated with Patriotic Union of Kurdistan 
led by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani) published a third- 
page editorial by Abdul Hadi Mahdi about the assassination 
of the Sunni members in the constitutional committee: 
 
"Right now the political situation in Iraq is at its most 
dangerous and sensitive point.  Any disruption in the 
political process has the potential to demolish the 
building that we are constructing - the new Iraq.  Iraqis 
have paid for that building with their blood and we must 
continue to build it. 
 
The current stage requires peace from all Iraqi groups. 
Those who originally boycotted the elections only agreed to 
participate in the constitutional committee after some very 
difficult negotiations, resulting in 25 Sunni members being 
added to the constitutional committee. 
 
The constitutional process continues to move forward 
despite disagreements among the members of the 
constitutional committee.  We believe that such 
disagreements benefit the constitutional process.  We 
believe that they are creating a new document, with new 
ideas that will benefit Iraq.  We deny that they are doing 
this for personal profit or from a constitution drafted 
beforehand. 
 
I believed that the Iraqi people can work through these 
disagreements and finish the constitution on time. 
 
Unfortunately, the assassination of the three Sunni members 
of the constitutional committee may have changed all of 
that. This assassination is an attempt to prevent the 
constitutional committee from doing its duty and drafting 
the constitution to meet the August 15th deadline. 
 
After the assassination, the Sunni group in the 
constitutional committee suspended its membership. However, 
it did not withdraw from the committee. There is a big 
difference between suspension and withdrawal. 
 
The Sunni members suspended their membership to protest 
against the assassination of three of their own. They have 
a list of demands that they want the government to address 
before returning to the committee.  The government has 
announced that it will address all of their demands as well 
as provide protection for constitutional committee members. 
 
This assassination did not targeting specific figures, 
rather it intended to thwart the whole constitutional 
process. 
 
The Iraqi people have started to ask questions about the 
assassinations.  They want to know what group or groups 
were responsible for the killing.  Who benefited from this 
assassination? What are the causes of this assassination? 
Why were those Sunni members targeted?  There are only 20 
days before the draft of the constitution is due.  We hope 
that the Sunni members will return to the constitutional 
committee as soon as possible in order to complete the 
constitution on time. 
 
We have to admit that because the government took a long 
time to form the constitutional committee, the process has 
been delayed.  This postponement has not been good for the 
process.  However, we are confident that the Sunni members 
will return to the constitutional committee and the 
assassinations will serve as a strong motive for all 
political groups to finish drafting the constitution.  They 
are working for the future of the new Iraq." 
 
B. "Saddam's trial is a national demand" (7/25) 
 
Al-Bayyan (affiliated with Islamic Ad-Da'wa Party led by PM 
Ibrahim Al-Jaafari) published a third-page editorial by 
Salim Rasool about Saddam's trial: 
 
"Some people are afraid of Saddam Hussein's upcoming trial. 
They are afraid of the consequences the trial may bring 
down upon them.  These fears come from a lack of 
understanding of Iraqi history and Iraqi social structure. 
 
Because of their narrow minds, some people think that 
Saddam committed crimes only in the north and the south, 
excluding the center and the west of Iraq for sectarian 
reasons. They believe that expediting Saddam's trial will 
create many problems, possibly damaging the political 
process. These people suggest that the only to way to 
prevent these type of problems is to delay Saddam's trial. 
 
These opinions are inconsistent with a true accounting of 
Iraq's history.  In reality Saddam committed crimes against 
all Iraqis.  No one was safe from him.  He executed 
thousands of Iraqis, all from different nationalities, 
religions and sects. 
 
No one can characterize Saddam's crimes as being against 
people of a specific sect or nationality.  Saddam even 
targeted his relatives and his followers. Some of them were 
fed to dogs while others melted in the sulfur pots. 
 
Saddam's crimes were against the whole community. I believe 
that even if Saddam is executed, nothing will be 
destabilized or harmed.  The Iraqi people are waiting for 
Saddam's death sentence.  Only criminal Ba'athists seek to 
create problems concerning Saddam's just sentence. 
 
The Iraqi people will regain their stability by taking 
Saddam to trial for his crimes.  His trial is an insistent 
national demand." 
 
 
 
Khalilzad