US embassy cable - 05THEHAGUE2452

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 002452 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KPAO, NL, IZ 
SUBJECT: IRAQI CONSTITUTION--GETTING THE WORD OUT 
 
REF: STATE 158420 
 
1. (SBU) Post has shared the Iraqi constitution information 
contained in reftel with Ministry of Foreign Affairs, think- 
tank, and media contacts.  In discussions with government 
contacts embassy officers stressed the importance of 
establishing a positive political environment for the 
constitutional process, and urged the Dutch to find ways to 
contribute to the process. We specifically asked our 
interlocutors to make positive public statements about the 
process. Media reaction to the draft constitution has been 
somewhat negative, with most commentators questioning what 
had been achieved in light of Sunni objections and the 
prospects that some saw for civil war. 
 
Government Outreach 
------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Post shared the information with Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs contacts on several levels, including: 
 
- The Charge passed the papers to Marnix Krop, Director 
General for European Cooperation, prior to the September 1-2 
Gymnich meeting. 
 
- The Charge also discussed the Iraqi Constitution with 
former Dutch Foreign Minister Max van der Stoel, who has 
been working quietly with Iraqi groups (with the support of 
the Dutch MFA) to resolve a number of issues related to the 
constitution. 
 
- POLCOUNS and POLOFF shared the points/fact sheets in 
person and discussed with senior or working-level 
interlocutors in MFA's Department of Political Affairs, the 
North America Desk, the Department of Security Affairs and 
the Department of Near East and North African Affairs 
 
Outreach to Public Opinion Makers 
--------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) The Public Affairs section shared the fact sheet and 
Secretary Rice's statement with ten newspapers and magazines 
 
SIPDIS 
across the political spectrum, as well as one TV outlet. 
PAS also contacted an influential group of international 
affairs opinion makers and academics at the Clingendael 
Institute, a prominent think tank. 
 
Media Reaction 
-------------- 
 
4. (U) "Iraqi Parties Have to Compromise; That is the Right 
of the Citizens" 
Left-of-Center "Trouw" states in its editorial (8/27): 
"President Bush called the hard efforts to write a 
Constitution for Iraq a positive thing, but every true 
democrat should be worried by the political developments in 
Baghdad. Does it really matter if Iraq does not have a 
Constitution? When last week's deadline passed, new 
elections should have been called for - as had been laid 
down in the interim Constitution. This did not happen. 
Secondly, it is worrying that a majority is threatening to 
impose its will on a minority. A democracy should respect 
the rights of minorities. . In these circumstances, the 
negotiators, Sunnis as well as others, are also to blame for 
not trying their best to achieve an acceptable compromise. 
It is about time that the citizens of the country get what 
they have a right to: clean water, electricity and health 
care." 
 
"Sunnis not Behind the Constitution." 
Left-of-Center Trouw's (8/29) foreign editors report: "Since 
the Sunnis resist the Constitution, there is a big chance 
that it will not be accepted by the population in the 
October referendum. . The Sunni `no' is a great 
disappointment to the U.S. government. Still, President Bush 
thinks the document is an `inspiration to the supporters of 
democracy.'" 
 
"Iraqi Constitution not a Feast but a Divisive Element" 
Influential independent "NRC Handelsblad" carries a front- 
page analysis by editor Carolien Roelants (8/29):  "The 
constitutional process in Iraq is threatening to promote the 
Sunni rebellion into a civil war. The proposals for a 
federal state are the product of a Shiite-Kurdish agreement. 
The Americans realize that the Sunnis will continue their 
violent opposition ... and put great pressure on all parties 
to reign themselves in." Still, George Bush called it: "The 
most progressive Constitution in the Islamic world." 
 
"Iraq Back to Where it Started" 
Influential independent "NRC Handelsblad" in its editorial 
(8/29): "The prospect of a viable Iraqi democracy and, with 
that, of an honorable withdrawal of American and British 
troops is further off than ever. . America thinks about 
withdrawing troops . even though there is no real reason for 
that, because there is no progress at all. . The situation 
is, in fact, more serious than during the Vietnam War, 
because a civil war threatens in an area that is of world 
importance for its oil resources. The course of the fighting 
in Iraq is also used as a motive for terrorist actions in 
the West.... Reason for President Bush to drop his rosy, 
unilateral ideas about the world order.  America needs the 
help of international organizations and allies to prevent 
worse." 
 
"Divided Iraq" 
Influential liberal "De Volkskrant" has this editorial 
(8/30): "The responsible parliamentary commission has not 
succeeded in writing a draft Constitution acceptable to all 
parties. . This is bad news for Iraq - and for the Bush 
government that, behind the screens, put great pressure on 
the parties to reach agreement. It is mainly the crisis in 
the Sunni community that blocked a compromise. . Several 
Sunni leaders have by now been killed for their willingness 
to cooperate. . If the draft text had been accepted, the 
politicians would have shown that the building of a 
democratic order does not let itself be derailed by 
violence. . In the mean time, the level of suspicion in the 
country has further increased, which plays into the hands of 
the Jihadists. 
 
"Worse than Vietnam" 
Influential independent "NRC Handelsblad" op-ed by columnist 
H.J.A. Hofland (8/31): "The milestone of the new 
Constitution may also become the blueprint for a civil war. 
The more official optimism, the more this is hit by 
inflation. . There were many warnings by big allies when the 
war in Iraq was being prepared. President Bush and his staff 
were inaccessible. The philosophers of the American 
government concluded that `old Europe' consisted mainly of 
cowards. Still, the American superpower kept isolating 
itslef from the rest of the world" through, for instance, 
".Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, fighting AIDS in Africa through 
sexual abstinence, cancelling the Kyoto Protocol, and 
reforming the UN . Large parts of Europe understand the 
seriousness of Iraq. A civil war which might draw in Syrai, 
Iran and Saudi Arabia, is a nightmare. The unanswered 
question remains how the U.S. President can be reached, can 
be made receptive to other solutions. Bush's words `We will 
prevail' are like a gramophone record stuck in one groove. 
As things stand now, only the Americans themselves can 
change their government's mind. That is the big similarity 
with the war in Vietnam."  BLAKEMAN