US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4075

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BAGHDAD 004075 
 
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, Terrorism, Elections, BAGHDAD 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQI GOVERNMENT, CONSTITUTION, 
TERRORISM, ELECTIONS, POLITICAL PARTIES, SOVEREIGNTY; 
BAGHDAD 
 
SUMMARY: Discussion on the Constitution, Terrorism, 
Elections, Political Parties and Sovereignty, were the major 
editorial themes of the daily newspapers on October 2, 2005. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
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A.   "Is Silence Helpful?" (Al-Bayyan, 10/2) 
B. "The Saudi Minister's Statements" (As-Sabah Al-Jadeed, 
10/2) 
C. "Yes to the Constitution" (Al-Dawa, 10/2) 
D. "The Last Chance for Sunnis" (Al-Ittihad, 10/2) 
E. "Terrorism: The Case of Lebanon and Iraq" (Al-Fourat, 
10/2) 
F. "The Referendum Reflects a Difficult Choice" (Al-Dustoor, 
10/2) 
G. "The Kurds and the Upcoming Referendum (Al-Taakhi, 10/2) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
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A. "Is Silence Helpful?" 
(Al-Bayyan, pro-coalition and affiliated with the Islamic Al- 
Dawa party led by Al-Ja'afari, published this page-five 
editorial by Salim Rasoul) 
 
"The latest statistics report that among Shiites alone 
10,000 martyrs have been killed (women, men, and children) 
who have nothing to do with politics or political activity. 
They were assassinated simply because they are Shiite. Can 
you imagine 10,000 people killed by terrorists solely due to 
their religious identity and sect!.Despite this large number 
of Iraqi victims we haven't yet seen an honorable stance 
taken by many political and religious institutions-it's as 
if they condone these crimes which weren't perpetrated only 
against Shiites but also against Sunnis in Ramadi, Mosul, 
and Tikrit. 
 
"Silence today will make Iraqis an easy target for Al- 
Zarqawi. So with all this bloodshed we wonder if the silence 
is helpful. May we ask others about their real positions 
toward who is killing our people? Let Al-Zarqawi and whoever 
covers for him know that we are able to defeat them--we 
stood against the tyrant himself and his regime (since 1968) 
and defeated them in the end.Were it not for our allegiance 
to our religious authority's wise instructions not to 
intervene [i.e. refrain from fighting back and provoke a 
civil war] then Al-Zarqawi would realize who he is fighting 
and what kind of fierce warriors he is threatening." 
 
B. "The Saudi Minister's Statements" 
(As-Sabah Al-Jadeed, independent, pro-coalition, published 
this front-page editorial by Ismael Zair) 
 
"The results and sequence of the Saudi foreign minister's 
statements toward Iraq have raised many questions concerning 
Iraqi issues. Chief among them is the question of how to 
deal with Iraq as a sovereign state, that's a question 
that's been posed a thousand times by others. Perhaps the 
most important question of all of is this: Hasn't Iraq 
suffered enough from regional and foreign interference? Has 
Iraq become an open field for regional powers to settle 
political scores?. 
 
"We are not about to take a stand for or against the Saudi 
minister's statements here, especially given sectarian 
overtones, but his statement clearly applies to our question 
above about how Iraq has become a field for others to settle 
issues. People like Iraqis who are descendants of: an 
ancient civilization, dignity, culture, and political 
figures, will never allow anyone to speak on their behalf. 
Politicians such as the Saudi minister have brought us to 
the brink of sectarianism, aiming to start a civil war. 
Those who want to ignite fires inside Iraq in order to 
protect their own countries should realize that this fire 
will burn them first." 
 
C. "Yes to the Constitution" 
(Al-Dawa, affiliated with the Islamic Al-Dawa Party led by 
Al-Ja'afari, published this page-five editorial by Rassem 
Qassem) 
 
"When the Iraqi people challenged danger and terrorism and 
went to ballot boxes during the previous election [in 
January] they demonstrated that they are valiant and yearn 
for freedom and democracy. 
"The previous election has led to the establishment of an 
elected National Assembly, which included all Iraqi sects, 
in addition to a national government which has achieved 
important successes such as the improvement of the security 
situation, discovery of corruption and embezzlement, and the 
drafting of a permanent Iraqi constitution. This 
constitution will be the basis for establishing a new Iraq. 
The 15th of October will be a decisive day in our history 
and advance us toward prosperity. Our participation in the 
referendum is a national duty at this sensitive period. 
"We are heading for a new era of rebuilding and constructing 
new Iraqi human beings-resurrecting those who have suffered 
tyranny for decades. We will keep moving forward and never 
go backward because Iraq's destiny was dictated by honorable 
and elected hands. For this reason, all honest Iraqis must 
actively participate in the referendum in order to make the 
political and constitutional process successful. This can be 
done through education and consultation in order to explain 
to people the real meaning of the constitution. In this way, 
we will be able to put an end to terrorist groups and the 
former regime's loyalists. Let the 15th of October be the 
decisive day to distinguish between good and evil." 
 
D. "The Last Chance for Sunnis" 
(Al-Ittihad, affiliated with the PUK, published this page- 
five editorial by Faryad Rawanduzi) 
 
"The referendum is approaching within less than two weeks. 
Though, the Sunnis still do not know how to react to the 
draft constitution; there are some Sunni groups that would 
reject the constitution even if they had written it 
themselves. Other Sunni groups yearn for the past and in 
particular they long for Saddam's regime. Those groups are 
not less radical than the aforementioned groups because they 
have demands that are impossible to implement. There is yet 
another group that opposes the constitution but is hesitant 
and tells others that it would accept the constitution after 
Sunni demands are accommodated. 
 
"The Sunni demands that were submitted to the Kurdish 
leadership will not change the constitution. I do not think 
that the Kurds oppose learning Arabic because thousands of 
Kurds get information and have had education in Arabic. 
Although Arabic is a difficult language to learn, it is the 
more important language for Iraqi Kurds and it is the second 
language after Kurdish in Kurdistan. Yet, everybody should 
know that Arabic cannot be the first language for the Kurds 
because it will not replace their mother tongue. At the same 
time, we cannot discard it. I do not demand that Arabs learn 
Kurdish because this is up to them. But, I strongly demand 
every Kurdish citizen learn Arabic as an important language. 
 
"Regarding Iraq's unity, it does not make any sense to make 
this concept a Sunni demand because it is mainly an Iraqi 
demand. Therefore, it is acceptable to address this concern 
in the constitution. The Sunnis have the right to have red 
lines but they must not forget that other people have red 
lines too. I think that the former regime's period is a red 
line that has no place in the constitution. This matter must 
be understood by everybody and not only political Sunnis. 
The Sunni's approval of the recent constitutional 
suggestions represents a last chance for them. Sunnis must 
preserve this chance because all indicators show that 
rejection will not be helpful. The constitution is about to 
be accepted by the majority of Iraqis with the approach of 
October 15." 
 
E. "Terrorism: The Case of Lebanon and Iraq" 
(Al-Fourat, independent, anti coalition, published this page- 
five editorial by Haitham Muzahem) 
 
"There are international and Arab efforts to fight terrorism 
but these efforts are not sufficient, especially in the Arab 
and Islamic world. Most of these efforts are governmental 
while public opinion in Arab and Islamic countries is 
apathetic or at times sympathetic with terrorism. People in 
these countries sympathize with terrorists under the 
pretexts that these militants are mujahideen and resistance 
movements that fight the American occupation in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. 
 
"Perhaps this is the main gap that makes terrorism difficult 
to fight. Terrorism must be rooted out and this means that 
we must put an end to its financial and material sources. 
International laws have stated eliminating terrorist funds 
and outlawed the sheltering of terrorists. In Iraq, 
terrorists announce their criminal operations shamelessly 
and this reminds us of the Israeli brazenness to conduct 
operations against the Palestinians. Terrorists in Iraq 
either belong to bands of Saddam loyalists (and the Ba'ath 
Party) or they are affiliated with Islamic extremists. Those 
terrorists kill innocent Iraqis under the assumption they 
will go to heaven by killing Iraqi people because they 
collaborate with the occupation. On the other hand, in 
Lebanon, terrorists remain anonymous and we don't hear about 
any specific group claiming responsibility for conducting 
operations. The Lebanese Minister of the Interior has said 
the country is currently attempting to deal with ghosts. 
 
"I think that such justification by the Lebanese government 
cannot be accepted. In fact, this shows that the Lebanese 
government is unable to stop bombings. However, it is very 
easy to criticize officials for being negligent. The reality 
is totally different and this is due to the complicated 
security and political situation in Lebanon. This country 
has suffered from a civil war and then Israeli and Syrian 
occupation. In the end, they've had security forces that 
have been infiltrated by regional and international 
countries for the past thirty years." 
 
F. "The Referendum Reflects a Difficult Choice" 
Al-Dustoor, independent, published this front-page editorial 
by Bassem Al-Sheikh: 
 
"The referendum is not a lottery as some politicians may 
think. In fact, it is a process that is based on 
satisfaction. In addition, we must take into consideration 
that this process is surrounded by difficult conditions such 
as the deterioration of the security situation and other 
challenges that affect the whole political process. 
 
"The referendum will establish the main law for the future 
of Iraq and represents a transition from the stage of 
compulsory laws to the stage of elective laws. As a result, 
the referendum means that people will vote based on their 
education and awareness and not mere submissiveness; in 
fact, it represents freedom from the slavery of the 
dictatorship. 
 
"This process is not as easy as some people think. Saying 
`yes' or `no' does not mean that this is the end of this 
process but rather it is the starting point to choose 
between construction and destruction. For this reason, 
Iraqis have a huge responsibility when they decide to vote 
in the referendum because their choice will decide the 
future of Iraq. Moreover, the Iraqi people must be wise and 
mindful when making their choice because this it is the 
decision that will define their destiny." 
 
G. "The Kurds and the Upcoming Referendum 
Al-Taakhi, affiliated with the KDP led by Mas'oud Al 
Barazani, published this front-page editorial by Editor-in- 
Chief, Badirkhan Al-Sindi: 
 
"The birth of the constitution has not been easy. In fact, 
it occurred only through long and elaborate discussions. In 
addition, it created many predictable, unanticipated, and 
contradictory viewpoints which afflicted the constitution 
drafting process. Actually, it represented a challenge to 
the Transitional National Assembly which was very careful to 
produce a draft constitution before giving responsibility to 
the Iraqi political leadership to resolve the conflicts. 
 
"The Kurdish leadership played an essential role in 
finalizing the draft and readying it for the referendum 
despite the fact that it did not fulfill all Kurdish 
ambitions. But, at the same time, we believe that voting for 
the constitution is a national responsibility and the 
current draft constitution is the best for the current Iraqi 
situation. This is because the draft has not easily 
satisfied all Iraqi interest groups. Moreover, rejecting the 
constitution would give Iraq's enemies the chance to achieve 
their wicked goals. As a result, the Kurds may ask for a new 
constitution that does not follow the same altruistic 
manner; one where they would demand their full rights which 
should be secured in the Iraqi constitution. 
 
 "The attempts to encourage and foment negative attitudes 
concerning the constitution in order to reject it, in the 
upcoming referendum, will only benefit those who have wept 
over Saddam's removal. This is an undeniable fact that 
contradicts the ambitions of the Iraqi people who suffered 
from dictatorship and injustice for the last three decades. 
We hope that all Iraqis will understand the tension in the 
current situation. We wish they would understand the 
necessity to settle constitutional issues without adopting 
solutions that were included in the TAL [Transitional 
Administrative Law]. However, using the TAL is definitely 
legal but will lead to more delays. Consequently, this will 
affect the progress of the Iraqi people. We understand that 
constitutions are not solid objects and this means that they 
can be changed and developed over time. Modifying the 
constitution is not impossible, but rather the impossible 
thing is making progress in Iraq with the influence of those 
who insist on controlling people's fate, confiscating their 
freedom, and preventing the establishment of democracy in 
Iraq." 
 
SATTERFIELD