US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4209

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004209 
 
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 
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - October 12, 2005 
 
 
SUMMARY: Discussions of the constitution and the merits of 
voting `yes' or `no' were the major editorial themes of 
Iraqi, Arabic language websites on October 12, 2005. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------- 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
------------------------------- 
 
A.   "Approving the Constitution Won't Solve Iraqi Crisis" 
  (Iraq 4 All News, 10/12) 
B. "Send a Blow to Terrorism and Its Supporters with a `Yes' 
Vote" (Watan 4 All, 10/12) 
C. "Voting for the Constitution Is a Means to Achieving 
Independence" (Al-Rafidayn, 10/12) 
 
SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
---------------------------------------- 
 
A. "Approving the Constitution Won't Solve Iraqi Crisis" 
(From Al-Watan, Saudi Newspaper, posted on Iraq 4 All News - 
http://iraq4all.org/viewnews.php?id=10312 ) 
 
"Statements from senior White House officials over the last 
few days urge Iraqis to approve the constitution, 
considering it a guarantee for their democratic future. 
These statements are coordinated with warnings from Iraqi 
leaders that rejecting the constitution will lead to chaos 
and the destruction of Iraq's future. The U.S. and Iraqi 
statements serve a joint purpose: the U.S. is waiting for 
its opportunity to pull out from the Iraqi swamp, and it 
realizes this opportunity will not come until the Iraqi 
constitution is approved and Iraqi forces are prepared to 
take over security responsibility; the Iraqi side hopes that 
approving the draft will remove the threat of civil 
war...and division. 
 
"But the question remains: If Iraqis were to fulfill the 
U.S. administration's desire and approve the draft 
constitution, would it be a sufficient step towards 
achieving political stability and security? The fact is that 
the current reality refutes this theory; a large section of 
Iraqis, which is Sunni, is dissatisfied with the 
constitution and has announced intentions to reject it, 
meaning that this constitution, if approved, will be limited 
because it will fail to represent the unity and national 
reconciliation that are desired. 
 
"Approving the constitution is one of the steps required to 
resolve the complicated problems in Iraq. Approving the 
draft is not the magic wand that would solve everything. 
Iraq first needs a set of procedures to provide security, 
overcome the rift between opposing parties, achieve 
reconciliation, and combat unemployment. These steps are 
essential. An attempt to achieve peace by relying on the 
hope that the constitution will be approved is nothing more 
than a dream." 
 
B. "Send a Blow to Terrorism and Its Supporters with a `Yes' 
Vote" 
(Editorial by Widad Fakher - Watan 4 All - "Home 4 All" - 
http://wattan4all.com/viewarticle.php?id=5777 &pg=articles ) 
 
"Terrorism, along with terrorists and those who support them 
in and outside of Iraq, will receive a strong blow next 
Saturday, October 15th, when we all vote `yes' to the 
Federal Republic of Iraq. This vote will be an expression of 
faith in all the martyrs who were victimized by the party of 
fascists and murderers who arrived on the soil of 
Mesopotamia, and it will be a blow to those who fake their 
Islamic religion without reflecting on the justice and 
tolerance of true Islam. 
 
"When Iraqis stand courageously at the ballot boxes, a smile 
will be drawn over the faces of the victims of Halabja, the 
southern marshes, and all other Iraqi patriots who fell 
under the injustice of a string of dictatorships starting on 
February 8, 1963. 
 
"Those refusing to vote in favor of the constitution are 
still hoping to restore the centralized dictatorship that 
manipulates the political scene and deprives people of their 
right to decide their economic and political affairs. Next 
Saturday will represent a new opening for a free and federal 
Iraq that refuses to entertain arbitrary and unjustified 
republican decrees or the behavior of some politicians. Only 
the new democratic Iraq will be present." 
C. "Voting for the Constitution Is a Means to Achieving 
Independence" 
(Editorial by Mohammed Aissa - Al-Rafidayn - 
http://www.alrafidayn.com/Story/News/N12_10_7 .html ) 
 
"Sovereignty and independence for Iraq will not be achieved 
in the near future. In order to reach these goals we must 
pass several stages, including writing the fundamental law 
that will govern the country. This must be voted upon, and 
then elections must be held to establish a stable government 
that enjoys the authorities to do its duty and achieve 
sovereignty and independence. 
 
"There is no doubt that the constitution the Iraqis wrote 
does not meet the aspirations of all spectrums of Iraqi 
people. But there also is no doubt that it is a thousand 
times better than the TAL, according to which the Iraqi 
state is run now. At least those who wrote the constitution 
are representatives of the Iraqi people, unlike [those who 
wrote] the TAL, which is still called `Bremer Law.' Voting 
`yes' means Iraq completes the Bremer phase-with all its 
disadvantages for Iraqis. It means entering a phase with a 
constitution written by Iraqi hands; parliamentarians will 
say what they want to the MNF, their presence, and the 
method of their deployment. But voting `no' will bring us 
back to the Bremer phase and we might not get out of it. 
Things might get worse and Iraq could be turned into a long- 
term project that could last ten to twenty years or more. In 
that case, MNF will have complete power and those who cried 
for rejection will achieve the opposite of what they claim. 
 
"These are not speculations; whoever wants to view the 
possibilities of rejection will see this result, which could 
be even worse, God forbid. Rejection means Iraq will enter 
unnecessary mazes, especially now that it is an open land 
for terrorist operations, which harm Iraqi people in 
general, and Shiites and Kurds in particular. 
 
"Whoever says that federalism will divide Iraq will see that 
in reality, if the constitution is rejected, there will be 
an independent Kurdish state, Turkmen state, Christian 
state, Shiite state, Sunni state, etc. The points of 
disagreement were modified and what remains is not worth 
disagreeing upon. 
 
"Next Saturday is the day when the people say either `yes,' 
which is considered a step toward freedom and independence, 
or `no,' which is a step backward. [With a `no' vote] we 
would be much farther from our goal of achieving 
independence and freedom for our people, who suffer so much 
and whose wounds are still bleeding." 
 
KHALILZAD