US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD3639

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003639 
 
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 
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - AUGUST 28, 2005 
 
SUMMARY: Discussion on the Constitution was the major 
editorial theme of Iraqi, Arabic language websites on 
September 5, 2005. END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
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A. "Religious Minorities Still Have a Battle with 
Democracy's Enemies in the New Iraq" (Al-Rafidayn, 9/5) 
B. "A Constitution of Disintegration and Sectarian Wars in 
Iraq and the Region" (Iraq 4 All News, 9/5) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
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A. "Religious Minorities Still Have a Battle with 
Democracy's Enemies in the New Iraq" 
 (Editorial by Hikmet Seleem, Al-Rafidayn - The Two Rivers 
Website http://www.alrafidayn.com) 
 
"For the first time in Iraq's history religious minorities 
have the opportunity to be officially acknowledged in Iraq's 
coming constitution. This event wasn't granted by others but 
was a result of organized and relentless efforts by 
religious clerics and educated representatives of these 
religions, and with the support of the good-hearted Iraqi 
people from the entire political and national spectrum, and 
here we should acknowledge the role of Kurdish democratic 
movements and the Iraqi political left wing. 
 
The interpretation of ancient Iraqi religious rights into 
reality demands great efforts especially since we are facing 
extremist religious groups that don't believe in the 
coexistence of pre-Islamic religions, and other Islamic 
political parties that do believe in freedom of religion but 
put on a different face during negotiations to gain the 
support of extremists. And we have seen one of their senior 
leaders announcing the success of democracy in Iraq by 
saying the constitution gave rights to all, "even to 
Mandains and Yazidis." 
 
The complex situation and religious extremism demands the 
following by religious minorities: 
 
  1.   Each group should organize its internal structure and 
     renounce divisions. 
2.   Establishing strong relations among these groups and 
combining efforts. 
3.   Establishing strong relations with left wing powers and 
non-extremist Islamic groups. 
4.   Working with international human rights organizations. 
5.    Forming an Iraqi national committee to defend the 
rights of marginalized religious groups. 
 
And finally, the struggle for the freedom of religious 
minorities should be part of the democratic struggle for all 
Iraqis." 
 
B. "A Constitution of Disintegration and Sectarian Wars in 
Iraq and the Region" 
(Editorial by Yaser Al-Za'arta, Iraq 4 All News 
http://iraq4all.org) 
 
"There is no doubt that the difficult domestic conditions 
surrounding George Bush have dictated the hasty passing of 
the Iraqi draft constitution without agreement. With 
increasing domestic criticism over the war in Iraq, and with 
no solution looming on the horizon to honorably relieve 
Washington of its predicament, the passing of the draft was 
a main stage that would hopefully eliminate the phantom of 
defeat even if no success or guarantee of Iraqi's interests 
were achieved. 
 
When Kurds agreed upon federalism it wasn't a concession for 
the Shiites who benefit from a wide ranging federal system 
that places the country in an actual state of division where 
they control the south and part of the central region. The 
Kurds will find an opportunity to take over the northern 
regions they seek including Kirkuk as a step towards their 
secession and then the virus of separatism will spread 
throughout the region making it difficult to point towards 
the Kurd's intentions apart from those of others. 
 
When Al-Hakim talks of a Shiite southern region, it's only 
natural to assume that a third of Basra's population who are 
Sunnis should leave or be exterminated, and the same can be 
said for other southern provinces, while Shiites in Baghdad 
and the north will no longer be his responsibility, so when 
Al-Hakim says federalism will maintain the unity of Iraq, no 
one will take him seriously. 
 
The worst of all is that Al-Talabani and Al-Hakim's 
constitution doesn't only threaten Iraq, but the entire Arab 
world and region and here it's surprising to find a country 
like Iran in support of such a constitution despite its 
problems with Sunni aspirations for secession, not to 
mention that of the Kurds. 
Once the sequential effect starts, no one can overlook the 
reality in the Gulf States and specifically Saudi Arabia, 
where one Shiite website was demanding autonomy for the 
Shi'a in Saudi Arabia. The Shiites will then face a Sunni 
reaction that is bound to head towards the extreme with the 
result of chaos in which both sides lose. 
 
We should remember that dividing the region was, and still 
is, a Zionist project that emerged in the early 90s in the 
form of the Oslo Agreement, but the failure of this 
agreement didn't put an end to the project. 
 
When the war on Iraq failed to reform the region through 
military power, due to the fierce Iraqi resistance, thoughts 
went towards forming a self dividing project established 
through the constitution to manipulate the Arab-Iranian 
situation leading to conflict and a state of chaos that 
would make the Zionist State a resort for all conflicting 
parties. 
 
So confronting the Iraqi draft constitution is a matter of 
extreme importance, not only for Iraq, but for the whole 
region, where all should participate in defeating the draft, 
not through the referendum whose results can be manipulated 
by Al-Talabani and Al-Hakim, but by contributing to efforts 
before and after the referendum. 
 
What should be clear here that the best reply to the 
sectarian government is through supporting resistance from 
within and outside of Iraq, otherwise division and sectarian 
wars will overrun the region in the favor of Zionist plots." 
 
Khalilzad