US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4038

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 004038 
 
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, Terrorism, Parliament 
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - September 29, 2005 
 
 
SUMMARY: Discussion of Arab neglect for Iraqis, terrorism, 
the constitution, and corruption were the major editorial 
themes of Iraqi, Arabic language websites on September 29, 
2005. END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------- 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
------------------------------- 
 
A.   "Iraq and the Arab System" (Sawt Al-Iraq, 9/29) 
B. "An Article That Finds No Title" (Iraq of Tomorrow, 9/29) 
C. "At Last America Responded to Sunni Demands, the 
Ambassador Negotiates with Kurds on Behalf of Sunnis" (Sawt 
Al-Iraq, 9/29) 
D. "Corruption. How to Fight It?" (Independent Iraqi News 
Agency, 9/29) 
 
SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
---------------------------------------- 
 
A. "Iraq and the Arab System" 
(Editorial by Omar Al-Hasona - Sawt Al-Iraq - 
http://www.sotaliraq.com ) 
 
"It is undeniable that human civilization emerged from the 
East (and specifically from Mesopotamia), and that the 
world's three divine religions emerged from the East where 
Iraq was the land of many prophets and messengers, and that 
two-thirds of today's oil also comes from the East. Iraq is 
a part of these facts and has always been a part of this 
region that represented the center of the world's attention 
in the past and present. It has endured many invasions, 
beginning with the Mongolians, Ottomans, British, and at the 
beginning of this century the Americans; despite this, Iraq 
has remained an Arab land through these critical centuries. 
 
"Today a fuss is being raised about the Arab identity of 
Iraq, leading the Arab League's Secretary General to 
criticize the omission of a phrase that includes Iraq as 
part of the Arab nation. The first Iraqi constitution of 
1925 did not include any mention of the Arab nature of Iraq, 
nor did most Arab constitutions. Despite this, Iraq has 
always been considered a part of the Arab nation and its 
Arab region. But what has this Arab system done for Iraq? 
 
"Didn't the Arab League and all of its members participate 
in sanctions against Iraq? Didn't they maintain an even more 
severe blockade than that of the Americans, the U.N., and 
even the former regime? Didn't Iraqis knock on the doors of 
Arab embassies in search of job opportunities, only to be 
rejected upon mentioning their Iraqi nationality? And this 
is in spite of the hospitality that Iraqis have shown to 
other Arabs in previous years. Iraq has always honorably 
defended the causes of the Arab nation in the wars of 1948, 
1967, and 1973, not to mention providing financial, 
political, and diplomatic support. 
 
"Since toppling Saddam's regime, Iraqis have shown they are 
capable of enjoying a freedom for which they are envied. 
They reflect the entire political spectrum in Iraq and they 
exchange words rather than bullets when facing crucial 
tests. In the end, no one has the right to weep over the 
Arab identity of Iraq because Iraqis are capable of 
protecting their own identity-even with a few differences 
regarding the draft constitution. But please remember this 
fact: light always comes from the East, and Iraq is its 
source." 
 
B. "An Article That Finds No Title" 
(Editorial by Shemal Adil Seleem - Iraq of Tomorrow - 
http://www.iraqoftomorrow.org/viewarticle.php ?id=32977&pg=ar 
ticles ) 
 
"I read in a Danish newspaper the other day about the arrest 
of a Dane of Moroccan origin on charges of inciting and 
encouraging terrorism. The judge said the accused would be 
sentenced to six years in prison if convicted, according to 
Danish law. 
 
"What has inspired me to raise this issue is its connection 
to what is happening in my country, Iraq, where explosions, 
assassinations, and terrorist attacks take place, and where 
death squads, Saddam loyalists, and terrorist groups are 
harbored in mosques, conferences, and assemblies under the 
pretext of democracy and a pluralistic system. Worse still, 
we have seen many elected National Assembly members 
supporting terrorism and terrorists, expressing their 
passion for previous eras when barbaric action was awarded 
with medals of bravery. 
 
"On top of this, we see satellite channels every now and 
then showing Saddam loyalists demanding the release of what 
they consider to be `the leader of the Arab nation' or `the 
father of the two martyrs,' who ruined Iraq during thirty 
years of barbarianism and dictatorship! They shout out 
slogans for the sadist murderer, infamous for his terrible 
crimes. 
 
"And here is the point: in democratic countries, the will of 
the people is respected as a sacred right; the government 
protects its people and holds accountable those who violate 
the law. In Iraq, the opposite is true. Prisons are resorts 
for criminals taking a break from murder and suppression, 
providing them with the opportunity to demand the return of 
the former suppressive regime to take control of people's 
fate. In the most developed countries, no one has the right 
to encourage terrorism, and in some countries, even 
demonstrations with Nazi symbols are prohibited. 
 
"The government should be decisive in its enforcement of the 
law. It should punish criminals, because democracy and 
terrorism are two poles that can never meet." 
 
C. "At Last America Responded to Sunni Demands, the 
Ambassador Negotiates with Kurds on Behalf of Sunnis" 
(Editorial by Hassan Al Zameli - Sawt Al-Iraq - 
http://www.sotaliraq.com/articles-iraq/nieuws .php?id=16334 ) 
 
"The most important constitutional demand for Sunnis is the 
removal of the words `Saddamist Ba'ath' from the draft 
constitution. Today the American Ambassador has demanded 
that Kurds change the phrase `[federal] Republic of Iraq.' 
This demand does not mean anything to Sunnis; they only want 
to appear before the Arab and international media as 
patriots. They convinced the Americans not to remove the 
insurgent, terrorist ideology from the document; Sunnis 
presented tangible justification to the Americans, reminding 
them that the Shiites, after two years of rule, established 
the Deba'athification Committee. 
 
"We hunted down the Shiite committee and slaughtered it; we 
conducted terrible massacres everywhere; if we get the 
signal from you we will crush all the Shiite cities as we 
did in the 1991 uprising. We struck the holiest Shiite 
places, we crushed their Imams' shrines with our military 
boots. We committed Abu Ghraib and Radhwaniya and all Iraqi 
prison massacres. 
 
"This issue tickled the Americans' feelings, as did pressure 
from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Arab League. That is why 
Zalmay Khalilzad went to Kurdistan and made agreements-God 
only knows what happened. The Shiites, if they want a 
permanent constitution will be asked to compromise with 
Sunnis. They will be asked to remove the phrase `rooting out 
Saddamist Ba'ath' from the constitution which will weaken 
the case against Saddam. 
 
"The Shiites should agree to the removal of those words, but 
the date of Saddam's trial should be a sacred date, and 
should not be manipulated. Shiites should encourage people 
to demonstrate in all Shiite provinces, demanding Saddam's 
execution; otherwise the political process will be 
meaningless in Iraq. People will not allow a political 
leadership that offers humiliating concessions. Let the 
people decide if a [Sunni] deadlock is reached with the 
American. Do not retain token seats of power to perpetuate 
personal interest or offer concessions, as donations, at 
this most critical stage." 
 
D. "Corruption. How to Fight It?" 
(Editorial by Abdul Jabar Al Samara'i - Independent Iraqi 
News Agency - http://www.normal.iraq- 
ina.com/showarticles.php?id=1418 ) 
 
"Corruption in Iraq, especially in the economic realm, 
became a phenomenon like a germ afflicting public life. Some 
became very rich in nasty ways. The powerful consumed 
national wealth; the rich becoming richer and the poor 
becoming poorer. The thieves stole public funds and became 
merchants with millions of dollars and billions of Dinars. 
They controlled economic life without conscience. 
 
"Corruption is not a new phenomenon in national life, but 
what is new is the growth of this phenomenon and its 
development in a way that influences all community 
activities. Dr. Mahdi Al Hafidh, former Minister of 
Planning, suggested that widespread corruption resulted from 
several factors: weak rule of law; mismanagement; a 
willingness to deplete public funds; and an absence of 
regulations and systems to guarantee the public interest and 
maintain economic performance. The absence of legal 
questioning led irresponsible people to corruption and to 
the destruction of the Iraqi economy. We have not heard the 
Iraqi government questioning the corrupt individuals, 
especially those who stole money from the treasury, or those 
who failed to provide ration card items, or those who 
illegally traded with food, fuel, and medicine. 
 
"All of us here in Iraq agreed to root out corruption and we 
agreed on the necessity of fighting it. But who will resist 
and fight it? Are there serious measures to fight it? All 
cry about the misery of our reality and criticize 
corruption, but legal measures have not been taken to fight 
corruption and corrupt people. If an honest and transparent 
monitoring system is not created, corruption will increase 
and destroy what remaining values we have." 
 
KHALILZAD