US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD3986

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003986 
 
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, Parliament 
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - September 26, 2005 
 
SUMMARY: Discussion on Iranian influence in Iraq; the Iraqi 
foreign ministry; and the proposed Honor Accord were the 
major editorial themes of Iraqi, Arabic language websites on 
September 26, 2005. END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
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A. "What Is the Secret to Iran's Strength . It's Iraq!" 
(Iraq 4 All News, 9/26) 
B. "Good Morning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs" (Sot Al-Iraq, 
9/26) 
C. "An Honor Accord" (Independent Iraqi News Agency, 9/26) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
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A. "What Is the Secret to Iran's Strength . It's Iraq!" 
(Editorial by Khair Allah Khair Allah - Iraq 4 All News - 
http://iraq4all.org/viewnews.php?id=10046 ) 
 
"It might be too late to do anything for Iraq. Our fears 
have become reality: the war that America launched to topple 
the Iraqi regime has resulted in Iraq's capitulation to 
Iran. 
 
"Before entering Iraq, Americans planted the seeds of 
sectarianism by providing literature to Iraqi opposition 
that included phrases like: "The majority Shiites." The 
Iranian regime loves phrases like this. Opposition groups 
taking refuge in Iran added a Shiite touch to other 
opposition groups in the United States, including that of 
Ahmed Al-Chalabi-the most familiar face among these 
opposition forces. 
 
"After entering Iraq, Americans dissolved the Iraqi Army and 
left hundreds of thousands of families with no way to earn a 
living. This was followed by the formation, on an ethnic and 
sectarian basis, of the Iraqi Governing Council, which 
stoked fears within the Sunni Arab community and further 
drove Sunnis towards extremism. 
 
"While many issues have surfaced since the U.S. began its 
occupation, we cannot escape the fact that Iran has been the 
major winner of this war, followed by the Kurds who managed 
to organize their affairs and lay the groundwork for an 
eventual independent state. 
 
"To see how far Iranian influence extends in Iraq, all you 
need to do is reflect on the situation involving British 
forces in southern Iraq. They have become Iranian hostages 
ever since London joined the European-American debate over 
Tehran's nuclear program. Basra, where British forces 
operate, has become an Iranian city for all intents and 
purposes. 
 
"The spell has turned against the Americans in Iraq. Control 
in Iraq has become Iran's secret strength these days, and 
Iran is proving that it has the ability to manipulate all 
issues related to its nuclear program. Iran has won the Iraq 
war without fighting. It uses its Iraqi agents to direct 
corruption scandals at the former Minister of Defense, Hazim 
Al-Shalan-one of the few who took a stand against the 
Iranian role in Iraq. Will Americans continue their search 
for fictional achievements in a country consumed by civil 
war while Iran continues to gain the upper hand?" 
 
B. "Good Morning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs" 
(Editorial by Muhsin Radhi Al-Daraji - Sot Al-Iraq - 
http://www.sotaliraq.com/articles-iraq/nieuws .php?id=16139 ) 
 
"When will our foreign ministry stand up for diplomacy and 
tradition? It seems that our officials only smile for the 
cameras while Iraqis suffer. The ministry has exhibited its 
indecisiveness many times. It condemns the indecisiveness of 
the Syrian government but fails to set a timeline for 
solving problems between the two countries. Iraqi bloodshed 
continues. And why hasn't the ministry demanded that 
America, as Iraq's principal political caretaker, intervene 
to solve these problems and refer this case of Syrian 
indifference to the U.N.? 
 
"We demand that our government come to some conclusions 
about what is taking place along our borders with Jordan, 
Saudi Arabia, Iran, and even Kuwait. Do ministry officials 
simply attend international conferences and meetings, or do 
they actually monitor what is going on in the world and keep 
an eye on implications for Iraq; develop relationships 
between Iraqis and our friends abroad, and monitor foreign 
media that incite violence and hostility? 
 
"Our foreign ministry should play a central role, and our 
ambassadors should assume their national duty and serve as 
true representatives of Iraq. The role of ambassadors should 
not be restricted to issuing passports and granting visas; 
it should include monitoring all that takes place in our 
missions' host countries. We see other foreign ministries 
withdraw ambassadors and dismiss individuals in connection 
with various and sundry events all the time. Iraq, too, has 
witnessed many events: explosions in Hilla, statements by 
the king of Jordan, Amr Musa, and the Saudi Foreign 
Minister, the Beirut Ba'athist conference, and the "Anbar 
Residents Conference" in Jordan, but none has elicited a 
reply from our foreign ministry informing these countries 
that their actions hindered the Iraqi political process. 
 
"We wish our foreign ministry would review its policies of 
courtesy and good manners-policies that are detrimental to 
our rights and our people." 
 
C. "An Honor Accord" 
(Independent Iraqi News Agency - http://www.normal.iraq- 
ina.com/showarticles.php?id=1407 ) 
 
"Muslim Scholars' Association member, Sheikh Mahmoud Mahdi 
Al Sumaida'i, issued a call for an "honor accord to prohibit 
fighting" between Iraqis. The accord is considered a crucial 
step in reducing tension between Iraq's various factions. 
The accord followed the release of one of Al-Zarqawi's most 
divisive tapes, in which he called for the murder of Shiite 
Iraqis. 
 
"The call for a national dialogue and reconciliation among 
the country's factions is one element of an eloquent 
response to Al Zarqawi's provocations. But this kind of 
accord cannot be effective (and it will not initiate a 
productive dialogue) unless there is an end to all armed 
operations that target Iraqi civilians. This would give much 
needed credibility to Sumaida'i's call. 
 
"Al Sumaida'i and the Muslim Scholars' Association must 
follow through on their call if they wish to transform their 
idea of an honor accord into a reality-a reality that will 
improve relations and maintain the unity and freedom of the 
Iraqi people." 
 
KHALILZAD