US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4089

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BAGHDAD 004089 
 
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, Terrorism, Elections, Parliament, Saddam Hussein 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQI GOVERNMENT, CONSTITUTION, 
TERRORISM, ELECTIONS, POLITICAL PARTIES, SADDAM HUSSEIN 
TRIAL; BAGHDAD 
 
SUMMARY: Discussion on the Constitution, Terrorism, 
Elections, Political Parties and the Saddam Hussein Trial, 
were the major editorial themes of the daily newspapers on 
October 3, 2005. END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
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A. "No to Postponement" (Al-Bayyan, 10/3) 
B. "He Who Is Without Sin" (Al-Siyada, 10/3) 
C. "Ramadan and the Patience of Iraqis" (Al-Siyada, 10/3) 
D. "An Invitation to End Terrorism in Iraq" (Al-Ittihad, 
10/3) 
E. "In American English" (Al-Zaman, 10/3) 
F. "Another Definition of Democracy" (Al-Dustoor, 10/3) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
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A. "No to Postponement" 
(Al-Bayyan, pro-coalition and affiliated with the Islamic Al- 
Dawa party led by Al-Ja'afari, published this page-five 
editorial by Zainab Al-Khafaji) 
 
"Saddam's defenders do not have any further justification to 
defend him since he confessed that he committed many crimes 
during his regime. All indicators about Saddam's case reveal 
that his lawyers will definitely fail. However, there are 
some international elements desperately trying to find legal 
justification to acquit Saddam or at least reduce his 
expected sentence. We have heard recently that there are 
some groups trying to postpone Saddam's trial; they dream 
that they will be able to save Saddam from divine justice. 
 
"I think that Dr. Ibrahim Al-Ja'afari's decision to reject 
such a proposal has put an end to those futile dreams. All 
of Iraq's people will say, `no to postponement.' This is the 
result of the government's interaction with people and this 
relationship must develop further, especially following the 
current terrorist activity that aims to thwart the 
constitutional process. Attitudes of some international 
groups that call for postponing Saddam's trial, using weak 
excuses, have been unsuccessful despite the machinery of a 
huge media campaign which has tried to portray Saddam as an 
oppressed victim who cannot enjoy any human rights. 
 
"We insist on saying `no to postponement' because Saddam's 
trial is a national demand. We reject any attempt to 
politicize Saddam's trial because it is purely an Iraqi 
affair that must not be meddled in by any other country. All 
documentary evidence proves that Saddam executed thousands 
of Iraqis and he also stole the Iraqi people's national 
wealth. For this reason, Saddam's trial is not a political 
affair that is subject to special interests but rather it's 
a trial that represents the whole of Iraq's people." 
 
B. "He Who Is Without Sin" 
(Al-Siyada, independent, published this back-page column by 
Hussein Al-Ubaidi) 
 
"I do not want to acquit any officials from accusations of 
corruption and I do not differentiate between officials from 
Allawi's government and the current government. Illegitimate 
money has incredible satanic temptation; neither officials 
nor average citizens can resist the lure [of corruption] 
except for those whom God has blessed with mercy. 
 
"It is not right to politicize accusations of corruption and 
make them a tool for political conflicts. For instance, the 
government has suddenly discovered that there is corruption 
in the Ministry of Defense, worth unprecedented amounts of 
money, and yet the former Minister of Defense is the only 
official implicated in this case. We all know that Al- 
Ja'afari's government has assumed power and been working for 
several months. Without a doubt, it has responsibility for 
everything and it knows all of the details about the former 
government's performance so why hasn't the current 
government raised this serious issue before? Why has it 
decided to publicize this case now? What was the role of the 
Commission on Public Integrity during that time? I say this 
because the former Minister of Defense, Hazem Al-Sha'lan, is 
preparing for the coming election and the rivalry has 
already begun. 
"As I said before I do not want to accuse or acquit anyone-- 
all officials are equal to me [as a private citizen]. But, 
the timing of this case and the current exaggeration by 
local media outlets have made us doubt the veracity and 
independence of the Commission on Public Integrity. It seems 
that the government has turned this commission into a 
political tool to get rid of its political opponents and win 
another term in the upcoming election. If the case was 
associated with known facts, I would have been the first one 
to support this accusation but how can we know the facts 
amid hazy circumstances? 
"Anyway, we should not forget Christ's saying: `Let he who 
is without sin cast the first stone.' We wish that 
[character] defamation would not be used as a weapon in the 
electoral battle because this act will only ignite political 
accusations. Consequently, this will lead to a revelation of 
what is behind the scenes and may force some political 
groups from the political process." 
 
C. "Ramadan and the Patience of Iraqis" 
(Al-Siyada, independent, published this front-page editorial 
by Sa'ad Assam Al-Janabi) 
 
"It's the third Ramadan since the downfall of the former 
regime and the Iraqi people's sufferings have only 
increased, their hopes destroyed by the security chaos and 
the decline of essential services. In this holy month, we 
have to perform our religious duties in addition to our 
national duties. 
 
"In this holy month we will witness a democratic practice, 
the referendum, which we must participate in as a national 
duty. In spite of our reservations on some articles and 
paragraphs within the constitution we call on all Iraqis to 
actively participate in their national right to freely 
express their opinion--it is up to Iraqis to accept or 
reject the constitution. The most important thing is that 
they must participate in promoting the political process so 
that mistakes of the previous election will not happen 
again. This way, we will have a fully legitimate referendum 
and election that leads to a national government that 
satisfies all Iraqi's ambitions. 
 
"The Iraqi government is responsible for providing a 
suitable environment to make the referendum and election 
successful. It must ensure that all Iraqis take part in this 
process so that we can have a newly elected National 
Assembly that represents all Iraqis. To achieve this, we 
must depend upon God and remember the virtues of this holy 
month. First of all, cities must not be attacked and bombed- 
-injured citizens must be compensated. All random raids on 
houses must be stopped and there needs to be a legal way to 
implement security procedures. All detainees must be 
released and we must achieve national reconciliation. In 
addition, we need to put an end to the continuous bloodshed 
in Iraq in order to put Iraq on the correct path to 
establish democracy and justice. Iraqi patience is at an end 
and it is now time for the Iraqi people to harvest the 
fruits of their sacrifices and endurance." 
 
D. "An Invitation to End Terrorism in Iraq" 
(Al-Ittihad, affiliated with the PUK, published this page- 
five editorial by Dr. Ahmad Abdullah) 
 
"After the downfall of the dictatorial regime on the ninth 
of April 2003, Iraq has witnessed many brutal crimes. The 
Americans and their Iraqi allies who came with them must be 
held responsible for the consequences of those crimes 
because it is they who have let terrorists enter Iraq easily 
and freely. Now, every day we see Iraqi blood shed and 
hundreds of men, women, children, and elderly being killed 
in markets, streets, and houses. The intentional killing of 
innocent citizens indicates that those killers and criminals 
do not know the meaning of mercy and I think that the smell 
of blood excites their antagonistic instincts. 
 
"We do not know if those killers realize that they will 
definitely go to hell. Moreover, some Iraqis label those 
murderers `resistance.' Can we regard the killing of 
innocent, unarmed civilians as resistance? Can we regard 
attacks on police and other security forces resistance? The 
march of freedom and democracy moves forward in Iraq because 
Iraqi martyrs have enabled it through their martyrdom. On 
the other hand, some neighboring countries are still 
supporting terrorists in Iraq. But, God will punish those 
who harm Iraq and the Iraqi people will never forget the 
stances these countries took. In the end, only terrorists 
will be the losers because their operations are condemned in 
life and they will be punished on the Day of Judgment. At 
the same time, the Iraqi people have become aware of the 
necessity to unite to fight these killers. 
"This is a battle between good and evil. For this reason, 
let us all fight terrorists because there is no place for 
terrorists and occupiers in Iraq, which is the land of 
prophets and imams [esteemed clerics]. The upcoming stage 
will be sensitive and complicated, therefore we have to be 
very positive and our citizens must be united in order to 
counter the brutal and hysterical terrorist attacks against 
our country. We have to cooperate with the security forces 
to inform against any terrorist suspects. In addition, we 
must say `yes' to the constitution which we will be able to 
amend in the future should we have reservations about it." 
 
E. "In American English" 
(Al-Zaman, independent, anti coalition, published this page- 
four column by Dr. Kadum Al-Mukdadi) 
 
"If I were an Iraqi-American journalist who lived in 
Manhattan for a long time, I would have suggested that the 
occupation forces present a daily television show entitled, 
`In American English.' I am sure I would be able to find 
many Americans who are fed up with American democracy and 
are tired of the [American] political game in Iraq. 
 
"When hurricanes hit the United States and the Bush 
administration proved ineffective at containing the 
disaster, we could make use of this event in one of our 
evening shows. President Clinton said that there were no 
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, as Bush claimed; 
moreover, Clinton critiqued Bush's inability to deal with 
the damage of the hurricane. In Iraq, there are some people 
(especially in the city of Fallujah) who believe that what 
happened in the United States represents God's retribution 
for the American attack on their city. A displaced citizen 
from Samara said while he was watching millions of Americans 
flee their cities after Hurricane Katrina, that it was God's 
penalty for what they did to the Iraqis. I am sure that 
citizens of Al-Qa'im, Tal-Afar and Dulu'aya would say the 
same thing. 
 
"I don't think anyone in the world can prevent impoverished 
people from showing delight in the misfortune of the 
American people. And it's American shamelessness and 
disrespect for other countries that has created this hatred. 
Through one of his impudent statements, Bush told the 
American people that [by waging war in Iraq] he was able to 
keep the battle against terrorism isolated from the United 
States and sequestered here in Iraq. This means that he 
brought destruction to our land at the expense of our people 
and our country. All this happens and there are still some 
new politicians who say that there is a difference between 
the occupation and terrorism. In fact, the occupation and 
terrorism are two faces of the same coin. 
 
"What happened in Basrah [the incident with the British 
military] is an example of the democracy [practiced on 
behalf] of the occupation. This democracy destroys police 
stations and insults the local Iraqi government. But, I 
think we have to demand: a democratic apology, democratic 
submission and democratic humiliation." 
 
F. "Another Definition of Democracy" 
(Al-Dustoor, independent, published this front-page 
editorial by Bassem Al-Sheikh) 
 
"Every day we explore new definitions and the new charming 
qualities of democracy, especially when it reaches the 
decisive stage when the impoverished and underprivileged 
segments of society decide the fate of their prominent 
leaders--who have to follow one of two paths to gain the 
votes of the population. The first is to win the hearts of 
the people who, despite their simple nature, know only too 
well that it is nothing more than an attempt to achieve 
their political goals and then to discard promises after 
reaching power. 
 
"The second and the most important is to expose the dirty 
laundry of their opponents and to lower their standing in 
the eyes of their supporters. Usually this starts with the 
electoral campaigning period during which, friends of 
yesterday become the enemies of today, while today's 
adversaries become allies and partners. 
 
"Here, experience, aggression, and rudeness have a great 
role to play, and usually in this period those with noble 
principles and honorable behavior who have no desire to 
indulge in filthy contests withdraw and fail--while those 
that have nothing on their mind other than the calculations 
of gaining power are the ones who emerge victorious. 
Democracy is the brush that removes corrosion and reveals 
the true metal from which men are forged." 
 
SATTERFIELD