US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4074

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 004074 
 
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, Security, Petrolium 
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - October 2, 2005 
 
SUMMARY: Discussion of Iraqi oil revenues, terrorism, and 
the political process were the major editorial themes of 
Iraqi, Arabic language websites on October 2, 2005. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
------------------------------- 
 
A.   "Who Controls Iraqi Oil Revenues?" (Iraq 4 All News, 
  10/2) 
B. "After Balad's Catastrophe, Isn't It Time?" (Kitabat, 
10/2) 
C. "The Iraqi People's Conference" (Kitabat, 10/2) 
D. "The Rejecters . Where To?" (Sawt Al-Iraq, 10/2) 
 
SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
---------------------------------------- 
 
A. "Who Controls Iraqi Oil Revenues?" 
(Editorial by Ahmed Amrai - Iraq 4 All News - 
http://iraq4all.org/viewnews.php?id=10157 ) 
 
"He who can answer two questions can tell us [Iraqis], and 
the whole world, how two billion dollars disappeared from 
Iraqi government funds. 
 
"Upon leaving Iraq for good, the head of the U.S. 
Occupational Authority [Coalition Provisional Authority], 
Paul Bremer, carried a bag with $1 billion in cash, 
according to the U.S. press. What is more interesting is 
that Bremer never denied the story that he took the sum to 
serve his personal interests. 
 
"Prior to the Bremer era and the U.S. invasion in March 
2003, the U.N. managed Iraq's oil revenues based on an 
international sanctions program, which was imposed on Iraq 
after Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1991. The expenditure of 
these revenues was managed by a committee of permanent U.N. 
members of the `oil for food program.' Despite bribery and 
embezzlement among U.N. executives and Iraqi officials, 
there was always enough [money] to provide for Iraq's basic 
needs: food, medicine, and spare parts for services such as 
electricity. 
 
"Once Iraq was occupied, the U.N.'s role came to an end and 
the story of `oil for food' ceased to exist. But a U.N. 
Security Council resolution established the Iraqi 
Development Fund as a safe for Iraqi oil revenues. The 
questions are: Where is this fund? And who manages it? We 
have not heard anything about this fund since its formation. 
 
"Regardless of the answer, the U.S. occupation authorities 
bear full responsibility for major violations that were 
revealed in The Independent last week, which reported that 
the Iraqi Minister of Finance said scam operations have 
resulted in the loss of two billion dollars. 
 
"Iraqi government officials might be partners in crime, but 
they are certainly not the primary criminals. They are 
nothing more than a front for the occupational 
administration. This is supported by The Independent's 
mention of U.S. military and intelligence members having a 
background role. 
 
"This is the way they invest in occupation and work to 
prolong their presence; it is an effort to continue to loot. 
Despite this, many Arab leaders still describe Iraqi 
resistance as terrorism." 
 
B. "After Balad's Catastrophe, Isn't It Time?" 
(Editorial by Hasan Abdul Razaq - Kitabat - "Writings" - 
http://www.kitabat.com/i8644.htm ) 
 
"Another death in Mesopotamia is delivered by Osama Bin 
Ladin-a death emphasizing the sectarian nature of his filthy 
war. This death is no different than those delivered by 
Zionists who target Palestinian children to wipe out a 
generation that would grow up to pay them back for many 
nights of suppression. 
 
"Twenty-two children were killed by this Saudi pig and 
Jordanian dog. They are encouraged by Arab hypocrites and 
Saddam loyalists who exchange congratulations over Iraqi and 
Arab channels of hatred. What answer do these children have 
to offer when asked why they were killed? What answer other 
than innocence? 
"I am secular, but by God this is a sectarian war. The 
murder of these children is nothing more than a clear signal 
of these extremists' plans for Shiites, and I dare anyone to 
convince me otherwise.We are going to scream out in the 
faces of those concerned officials: Isn't it time for things 
to take a different course in the wake of this catastrophe? 
Haven't we demonstrated good manners long enough to those 
harboring our murderers? 
 
"We are not willing to die as a nation so that Bin Ladin can 
become the new king and Zarqawi can become the new prince, 
while other individuals become rulers in Iraq and revive 
another Saddam. We demand that all concerned officials, 
regardless of their different backgrounds and origins, find 
an immediate Iraqi solution to our crisis. We do not want 
the American solution, which uses us as wood for their burnt 
sacrifices to the terrorists, as they did before when Saddam 
was ordered to make us fuel for his war with the Iranians." 
 
C. "The Iraqi People's Conference" 
(Editorial by Abdul Zahra Abdul Rasoul - Kitabat - 
"Writings" http://www.kitabat.com/i8647.htm ) 
 
"Is this an attempt at national unity or an attempt to 
confiscate the Iraqi [spirit] of the others? This is a 
sectarian conference. Its original title was closer to 
reality: `The General Conference of the Sunni People.' It 
claimed to defend Sunni interests and prevent their 
marginalization in political life. Their trembling 
spokesperson yells and shrieks that he will not approve any 
decision that would marginalize Sunnis. We recently found 
out that he is the religious advisor of our Kurdish 
president. 
 
"When the Conference of the Sunni People was founded, all 
sectarian extremists in Iraq blessed it. Sectarian Shiites 
congratulated sectarian Sunnis for the achievement. The 
saying at that time was: we were awaiting this event and it 
is a step in the right direction. I understood that 
sectarian extremists need others to justify their actions 
and give them a reason to exist. How did the General 
Conference of the Sunni People become The Iraqi People's 
Conference? 
 
"The name change will not change the content. The structure 
and contents are sectarian-even if they added the word Iraq. 
It is still sectarian because its membership is Sunni and it 
defends Sunni interests only; therefore, it represents the 
Sunnis first and foremost-[As if] it does not represent Iraq 
until it is named, The Iraqi People's Conference. 
 
"When the sectarian Shiites gather they do not care about 
the place; whether they were praying last night or they were 
in pubs in Paris, London or Washington, the important thing 
is that they are from Shiite parents. Sectarian Sunnis are 
no different; when they gather they do not care if one of 
them is in ritual clothing or if he is hung-over in Sharm Al- 
Sheikh, the important thing is to be from Sunni parents. 
 
"Tell me for God's sake, aren't they similar? 
 
"Yes, that is why they blessed each other when the 
Conference of the Sunni People was established. 
 
"God, put them with each other on Judgment day. Save honest 
Sunnis from those sectarian ones. Save honest Shiites from 
sectarian ones." 
 
D. "The Rejecters . Where To?" 
(Editorial by Hamza Al Shamkhi - Sawt Al-Iraq - "The Voice 
of Iraq" - http://www.sotaliraq.com/articles- 
iraq/nieuws.php?id=16591 ) 
 
"After the fall of the dictatorship and Saddam's escape on 
April 9, 2003, many parties and organizations emerged, 
including the new ones that opposed Saddam's regime. Many 
tried to organize rallies and coordinate efforts to hold a 
national conference to form a political entity capable of 
leading Iraq during this exceptional stage. But from the 
beginning, groups that rejected all efforts to enhance the 
Iraqi national movement were present. 
 
"These groups rejected the formation of a governing council 
and everything it did during its term. They rejected the 
Iraqi government that followed this council, and then 
rejected everything that followed that. They rejected the 
January 30, 2005 elections, and they doubted its results and 
its legitimacy after millions of Iraqis participated. 
 
"Rejections continued when the Iraqi National Assembly was 
established based on the Iraqi electoral process; the 
current Iraqi government that was formed has also been 
rejected. They started the constitutional drafting process 
in an atmosphere of rejection, boycott, and calls for `No' 
votes in the October 15th referendum. The rejecters prepared 
to reject the approaching Iraqi elections. 
"The permanent rejection of those steps without offering 
substitutes to the issues makes [these people] obstacles to 
the Iraqi political process. Otherwise, what is the reason 
for boycotting and rejecting any step towards the country's 
stability and restoration of full national sovereignty? 
 
"Yes, there are many disputable issues that require more 
meetings, debates, dialogues and daily interaction to arrive 
at the right solutions for Iraqis. American and other 
foreign troops will not withdraw from our country [because 
of our] rejections-only as a result of our [participation]. 
All are required to perform their national duties and 
historic responsibilities to confront the external and 
internal dangers facing the country, rather than rejecting 
and boycotting." 
 
SATTERFIELD