US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4003

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 004003 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, IZ, Sunni Arab, Parliament 
SUBJECT: A CONFERENCE OF SUNNI ARABS THAT SUPPORTS THE 
DRAFT CONSTITUTION 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for 
reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) Summary. A Sunni Arab tribal shaykh convened with 
help from President Talabani a September 23 conference at 
which the Sunni Arab political figures in attendance urged 
acceptance of the draft constitution and condemnation of 
terrorism.  The conference was attended by 200 mostly Sunni 
leaders and NGO representatives, as well as by POL FSN. 
Former General/Iraqi National Salvation Movement leader 
Wafiq Al-Sameraee called on the participants to vote in the 
referendum noting that changes to the Constitution could be 
sought at a later date.  The conference didn't get the 
biggest names among the Sunni Arab political leadership and 
President Talabani had a hand in putting it together. 
Nonetheless, the conference was notable because it showed 
there is not unanimity of opinion on the draft constitution 
within the Sunni Arab community.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Fasal Al-Gaoud, a Sunni tribal shaykh, former 
Allawi-appointed Governor of Anbar and Secretary General of 
the newly formed Iraqi Solidarity Council (ISC) organized a 
conference, held in Baghdad on September 23, to discuss 
the draft Iraqi Constitution.  Under the theme of Iraqi 
unity in the new political and constitutional process, 
the four-hour conference, attended by POL FSN, attracted 
about 200 participants. Roughly 30 tribal leaders and 
shaykhs from Anbar and southern Iraq, fifteen mostly Sunni 
political leaders, and a large contingent of women's 
groups and other NGO representatives were in attendance. 
 
3. (SBU) Gaoud said that the ISC would urge massive 
participation in upcoming elections.  He further spoke of 
the need for non-sectarian unity in Iraq, condemned terrorist 
leaders including Zarkawi and announced that his party 
followers will participate in and vote for the draft 
Constitution. 
 
4. (SBU) Former Major General Wafiq Al-Sameraee, 
representing President Talibani, said though a Sunni Arab, 
he respected the views of the majority.  He did not call 
for either a "yes" or "no" vote on the constitution, but 
pointed out that the text could be amended at a later 
date.  Pointing to the measured response to the Al-A'ima 
bridge incident in which up to 1000 Shia died in a 
stampede, he predicted that Iraqi would not have a civil 
war. 
 
5. (SBU) Mithal Al-Alusi of the small Al-Uma party praised 
the draft constitution and spoke sarcastically of 
criticism from neighboring Arab countries of it.  He asked 
them to compare the Iraqi draft text to their own 
constitutions, commenting that both Arab League Secretary 
General Mousa and the Saudi Foreign Minster were afraid of 
the Iraq constitution.  He added that only 22 percent of 
Egyptians voted in the Presidential election whereas 58% 
of Iraqis voted for the Transitional National Assembly. 
Al-Alusi said Arab countries feared the political process 
in Iraq because they knew it could signal an end to their 
corrupt regimes.  He condemned Zarkawi and all those who 
harbor him as criminals. 
 
6. (SBU) Mubdir al-Weis, Secretary General of the Al-Whida 
(Unity) party called for a timetable for withdrawal of 
Coalition Forces in Iraq, saying that free elections should 
be held without occupation forces.  He said that the 
elections could not be free without direct supervision by 
the UN, Islamic Organization and other independent 
international organizations. 
 
7. (C) Comment:  An aide to President Talabani, and Major 
General Sameraee himself told us that Talabani had helped 
finance the conference by paying the expenses of the 
participants.  Those who attended were not prominent Sunni 
Arab political leaders.  Gaoud quickly lost his governor's 
chair when the new Anbar Provincial Council chose a new 
governor in February.  Mithal al-Alusi has a small 
following, but he is far more liberal than most in the 
Sunni Arab community.  (His trip to Israel in 2004 caused 
a major stir.)  While not representing the major Sunni 
political groupings, this conference was noteworthy for 
the number of Sunni politicians calling publicly for a 
"yes" vote on the draft Constitution.  Pol FSN saw 
participants actively engaged in the debate, which 
touched on all the points important to us - the need to 
participate in the political process and a strong 
condemnation of Zarkawi's terrorism.  End Comment. 
Khalilzad