US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4367

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BAGHDAD 004367 
 
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, Saddam Hussein 
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - October 23, 2005 
 
SUMMARY: Discussions of Iraqi parliamentarians' self- 
interest, the Arab League, the Iraqi constitution, and 
Saddam's first day in court were the major editorial themes 
of Iraqi, Arabic language websites on October 23, 2005. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
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A.   "In the New Iraq . Highest Pension for Least Service" 
  (Kitabat, 10/23) 
B. "How Is Iraq Affected, Not Affected by the Arab League" 
(Al-Nahrain, 10/23) 
C. "What Does Saleh Al-Mutlag Want" (Sawt Al-Iraq, 10/23) 
D. "The Feeble Court" (Al-Jeeran, 10/23) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
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A. "In the New Iraq . Highest Pension for Least Service" 
(Editorial by Jasim Aif - Kitabat - "Writings - 
http://www.kitabat.com/i9323.htm ) 
 
"The National Assembly's pension law, which was 
enthusiastically approved by parliamentarians, has launched 
a debate among Iraqis. But it seems that this sarcastic 
debate has not reached Assembly members' ears, as they have 
never given any attention to Iraqis in the first place. They 
did not bother with Iraqi bloodshed all over Baghdad, Tal- 
Afar, Fallujah, Qaim, the triangle of death, and the 
restaurant in Basra where Falafel sandwiches taste of blood, 
nor did they care about hundreds of Iraqi corpses with 
bullet holes in their skulls floating in rivers. They have 
never heard the minimum estimates of the country's 
unemployment rate, 60%-65%, nor shown concern over 
widespread corruption. 
 
"Can't they see the deterioration in services? Those who 
enabled them to assume their parliamentary posts, with their 
ink-stained fingers, cannot even find food ration items 
today. Are they monitoring reports that Iraqi youth must pay 
$500-$600 and provide certificates affirming their 
allegiance to certain sectarian parties to stand any chance 
of enrolling in military and security forces? What are our 
parliamentary representatives [dong about all these issues]? 
And there are so many more. 
 
"The above-mentioned issues could not occupy the minds of 
the Assembly members; rather, their minds were occupied with 
guarantees of their personal futures, so they approved a 
pension proposal that grants them 80% of their current 
salaries-believed to be in the millions-for the shortest 
service in the history of the Iraqi state, thereby exceeding 
any known retirement system in the world. And none of us 
protested because according to the law, they are the 
`legislators.' It seems that this pension system has 
captured the imagination of a local city councilmember in 
Basra who demanded a similar system be applied in local 
councils throughout Iraq. Based on sheer humanitarian 
concern and according to the Iraqi method of justice, we 
support his demands, and we would also like to include in 
this law, pensions for the personal security members of all 
Iraqi officials!" 
 
B. "How Is Iraq Affected, Not Affected by the Arab League?" 
(Editorial by Nejat Saad - Al-Nahrain - "The Two Rivers" - 
http://www.nahrain.com/d/news/05/10/23/nhr102 3e.html ) 
 
"I do not want to get into the negative stances adopted by 
the Arab League towards the people of Iraq, nor do I wish to 
blame its Secretary General, Amr Musa, or criticize his 
latest visit to Iraq.to hold a reconciliation conference. I 
want to concentrate on the role of the new Iraq in building 
a new Arab League with a new, civilized cultural view. After 
the fall of Saddam's fascist regime on April 9, 2003, we did 
not observe a decisive Iraqi position that would have 
protected the country from becoming a target of both the 
Arab League and Iran. The new democratic Iraq should be the 
one to play a vital role in changing the region's dark 
mentalities. 
 
"The basic goal sought through ousting the previous regime 
was to build a democratic Iraq in which human rights and 
interests take priority; if we go back to the Arab League's 
charter, we discover that concepts of democracy, human 
rights, and justice are nowhere to be found. We also observe 
that the League's culture is ancient, blaming Arabs' lack of 
development on imperialism, which justifies Arabs' 
contentedness with dictatorships that take over their lives 
until foreign imperialists liberate them. In addition to 
this, the League's mentality is possessed by `conspiracy 
theories' that portray the world as having no concern other 
than offending overdeveloped Arab countries. 
 
"These worn-out principles are not compatible with the new 
Iraq; therefore, maintaining a seat in an aging Arab League 
does not benefit Iraq or the League. On the contrary, both 
sides would be a source of discomfort for the other, with 
nothing in common between the two. 
 
"Iraq and Iraqis have always been the ones to take 
initiative and affect those around them. The Arab League 
itself, which was formed over fifty years ago, had Iraq as 
one of its most effective founders. But the question 
remains, how can Iraq turn the Arab League into an entity 
compatible with a new democratic Iraq and with reform in the 
region? Iraq should seek to change certain concepts and add 
others to the Arab League, encouraging it to follow the lead 
of the EU in achieving economic integration and political 
and cultural harmony through democratic governments-in 
contrast with Arab dictatorships that favor fascism over the 
interests of their citizens and have achieved absolutely 
nothing. The role of the League should not be restricted to 
holding meetings and pathetic conferences; it should hold 
gatherings in which participation is based on the desire to 
build a progressive and modern structure. 
 
"Iraq should clarify to the Arab League the importance of 
spreading democracy, combating terrorism, and reforming the 
League in all respects, regarding personal freedoms, 
equality, and human rights. It should establish the fact 
that the impediments to Arab nations cannot be summarized by 
imperialism alone, as Arab countries started their economic, 
political, and cultural deterioration once they declared 
independence. 
 
"Iraqis should be the ones to take the initiative since it 
is the Arabs who need to be salvaged from their state of 
chaos. If Iraq were to succeed in reforming the Arab League, 
it would achieve two goals: it would not isolate itself from 
its surroundings, nor would it allow its Arab League 
neighbors to affect Iraq with its suppressive regimes." 
 
C. "What Does Saleh Al-Mutlag Want?" 
(Editorial by Salah Al Fadhli - Sawt Al-Iraq - "The Voice of 
Iraq" - http://www.sotaliraq.com/articles- 
iraq/nieuws.php?id=17911 ) 
 
"Saleh Al-Mutlag, for anyone who does not know him, is the 
spokesperson of the National Dialogue Council in Iraq. The 
Council considers itself representative of Iraq's Sunnis-or 
the `absentees' as they like to call themselves-who chose 
Saleh Al-Mutlag to be the spokesperson. When he joined the 
constitutional drafting committee as the Sunni Arab 
representative, he became the Arab Satellite Channels' star 
as Iraq's Sunni spokesperson. 
 
"It is known that the fledgling Iraqi draft constitution 
reached a form that disputing parties could agree upon 
despite boycotts of parliamentary elections. But for it to 
be effective, it was necessary that Sunni Arabs were 
represented.because they are a major component of Iraq's 
population. Shiites and Kurds, who were the two winning 
groups in the elections, were flexible and offered 
concessions to Sunni Arabs. But Sunnis continue to have 
reservations about the draft constitution, which they 
consider the beginning of the division of Iraq. 
 
"Despite the fact that many of their demands were met, 
including a chance to review all the disputed points in the 
next parliament, Saleh Al-Mutlag insisted on rejecting the 
proposed constitution and called on all supporters to reject 
the document. The most significant of Saleh Al-Mutlag's 
objections focused on two major points: rejecting federalism 
in regions other than Kurdistan and objection to 
deba'thification. Why did Al-Mutlag focus on two specific 
points? The answer is clear: because he knows Kurds will not 
drop their demand for federalism and he knows Shiites insist 
on including deba'thification in the constitution. It seems 
that opposition of this type will be detrimental and any 
agreement on the constitution that everyone accepts is 
doomed to fail. 
 
"Al-Mutlag's group's rejection confirms that rejection is a 
strategic position that cannot be changed. It is obvious 
that `interest in the Arab nature of Iraq and its unity' is 
not Saleh Al-Mutlag's motive; the main purpose is to hinder 
the political process and to send a message to everybody 
that things cannot be accomplished without their [Sunni] 
satisfaction. I believe that if `the impossible demands' are 
implemented to the satisfaction of Al-Mutlag's group, they 
will continue to insist on a position of opposition because 
they do not want a new system in which justice and equality 
will prevail. 
"There is still an important question regarding whether or 
not Saleh Al-Mutlag and his supporters are representatives 
of Iraq's Sunni Arabs. Without elections through which Sunni 
Arabs express their opinions and identify their 
representatives, we cannot say that Saleh Al-Mutlag 
represents Sunni Arabs. It is likely that without an 
agreement among Sunni clergy, the Sunni Arab choice between 
Ba'thists and extremists and those unwilling to accept the 
new situation-even if the impossible were given to them-will 
remain absent. Time will tell you what you do not yet know." 
 
D. "The Feeble Court" 
(Editorial by Ali Al Kindri - Al-Jeeran - "Neighbors" - 
http://www.aljeeran.net/viewarticle.php?id=ar ticles-20051023- 
33779 ) 
 
"No one could have imagined that the first session of Saddam 
Hussein's trial would be such a farce, as if Saddam himself 
arranged it. We cannot believe that these very weak 
capabilities are the capabilities of Iraqi people, 
considering all his [Saddam's] educated people, judges, and 
engineers. We do not have a justification for what we, and 
millions around the world, watched-waiting for what was 
termed `the trial of the century' to turn out to be this 
farcical, feeble image. 
 
"The courtroom was not supplied or equipped technologically 
for the trial of the century. The audio was not clear; the 
sound was of poor quality; and there was an echo that 
affce the bad sound. Is this Iraqi rsourcflnes? 
 
"Asie from th technology,we saw that the judge was 
substandard; he participated in chaos by continuously 
laughing for no reason-failing to be serious and strict. He 
allowed Saddam to say what he wanted and disrespect the 
court without reprimand from the judge, who wanted to be 
nice and well-mannered at the expense of the court's 
reputation, the sanctity of the judiciary system, and 
respect for the law. What happened made everyone who watched 
the first session wonder, `Is this the standard of Iraq's 
judiciary system? Couldn't they find a stricter, more 
experienced, and more serious judge? How did the judge allow 
the accused twice, thrice and then four times to talk 
without permission and make noise in the court-in the trial 
of the century?' 
 
"Is there not a smarter, more experienced general prosecutor 
in Iraq than the one the world watched? How did this general 
prosecutor allow the tyrant lawyer to interrupt him during 
his presentation? As for Saddam, he used the judge's 
weakness and refused to state his name and identity, and the 
judge did not stop him; instead, he let Saddam continue and 
question the judge's integrity and impartiality, and the 
judge did not take measures against him. At the start of the 
session, he said to the judge: `Who are you and who do you 
represent?' He did not stand in court respectfully like 
other defendants. 
 
"As we said at the beginning, we cannot find a justification 
for the farce of the century. We cannot accept that this is 
the standard of Iraq, Iraqi civilization, Iraq of Hammurabi. 
Al-Ja'fari's government is responsible for this farce, with 
respect to preparation, technology, and judge and general 
prosecutor selection. The justification that `Iraq is 
passing through exceptional conditions' will not suffice, 
nor will it absolve Al-Ja'fari and his government of the 
abuse to Iraq and Iraqi people in front of the world. The 
Iraqi National Assembly should challenge Al-Ja'fari to fully 
prepare for the next session in order to convey a civilized 
image of Iraq to the world, rather than the farce we watched 
on October 19th, 2005." 
SATTERFIELD