US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4811

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 004811 
 
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, Elections, Media 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQI GOVERNMENT, DECEMBER 15th 
ELECTION, NATIONAL RECONCILIATION, TRANSPARENCY, 
SOVEREIGNTY, WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. FORCES; BAGHDAD 
 
SUMMARY: The major theme in today's editorials was the 
upcoming election. 
 
Analysis: The partisan Shi'a newspapers (Al-Adala & Al- 
Bayyan) highlighted the upcoming election and the electoral 
lists' preparations. Al-Adala's page-three editorial 
entitled, "Real Representation" dealt with how some groups 
are accusing the government and the UIA (United Iraqi 
Alliance) of negligence in providing essential services to 
the public, noting, "the people know their real 
representatives because they reflect the candle that will 
light the way toward advancement and prosperity." The paper 
also continues to dedicate page six to editorials about the 
UIA's political platform and today, one about Saddam's 
trial. 
 
Independent As-Sabah's front-page editorial entitled, 
"Mechanism" addressed the vexing issue of how the next 
parliament will amend the constitution. 
 
Al-Taakhi published a page-three editorial entitled, "Why 
the Kurdistan List 730" promising the Kurdish refrain that, 
"List 730 will ensure no more dictatorial regimes come to 
power in Iraq." Al-Ittihad's editorials on pages 3, 4 & 5 
were wide-ranging and on the oil crisis, politics, 
corruption, the difference between terrorism and resistance 
and the electoral process in Iraq. 
 
Baghdad published two editorials on page two: "The Essence 
of Being for All Iraqis" which outlined the importance of 
voting for Allawi's list, and "Elections.the System of the 
Majority and Representation for Political Minorities." 
December 1, 2005. END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------- 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
------------------------------- 
 
A. "Mutual Language" (Al-Bayyan, 12/1) 
B. "Electoral Sewage" (Az-Zaman, 12/1) 
C. "Which Are We Going to Choose: The Horse, Carriage or 
Road?" (Al-Mashriq, 12/1) 
D. "This Morning" (As-Sabah Al-Jadeed, 12/1) 
E. "Candidates and Their Ways of Attracting Voters" (Az- 
Zaman, 12/1) 
 
---------------------------------------- 
SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
---------------------------------------- 
 
A. "Mutual Language" 
(Al-Bayyan - affiliated with Ad-Dawa (led by Al-Ja'fari), no 
bias, published this page-three editorial by Zainab Al- 
Khafaji) 
 
"The competitive environment among electoral lists has 
demonstrated many outcomes. We noticed that there are a lot 
of political ads and posters that represent electoral 
platforms of different lists and most of these ads or 
posters speak about the unity of Iraq, reconstruction and 
how to stabilize security in the country. It seems that 
these issues represent mutual language among all electoral 
lists. 
 
"During this stage, political parties have found mutual 
language in addition to their electoral platforms to show 
that all political groups are harmonized. And this way, they 
will be able to attract voters to participate in the 
political process no matter what their choices. 
 
"If a specific electoral list wins the election, it must 
think about how to establish a government because this 
government will implement the winning list's political 
platform. In addition, people will have a good chance to 
follow up with the general platform of the government. 
Today, Iraq needs to take steps to draft the new political 
map of the country so that Iraqis can choose the list that 
will represent them and achieve their aspirations." 
 
B. "Electoral Sewage" 
(Az-Zaman, independent, published a back-page editorial by 
Fateh Abdul Salam) 
 
"Any Iraqi politician carrying a national slogan should be 
ashamed of himself, especially in front of the people, for 
all Iraqi cities without exception are turning into large 
flooded areas where sewage pipelines are exposed in 
residential neighborhoods forsaken by the ministries of 
health, environment, human rights, and others. 
 
"The availability of essential public services for Iraqis, 
to provide their children with decent living standards is 
the key factor for people's trust in politicians. No healthy 
political environment can correlate with open sewage 
networks feeding polluted swamps in neighborhoods and main 
roads in large cities, not only in small towns or cities 
devastated by continuous war. 
 
"Where have the significant funds dedicated to cleaning the 
drainage channels in southern Iraq, especially Basrah, by 
the former civil administrator Paul Bremer, the wrecker of 
Iraq, disappeared? Why are projects carried out by large 
ministries still lagging behind those that could be 
implemented by any minor local council? The excuse will 
always be financial difficulties, but what was the fate of 
the billions presented during Bremer's era. There were many 
plans on paper which if they had found their way to reality, 
the country would have been in a completely different state 
approaching the end of the third post-war year, but these 
excuses presented by politicians seem so thin and unrelated 
to the people's interests in any way whatsoever. 
 
"Addressing the problem of the sewage system is the broadest 
slogan through which to demonstrate to Iraqis that some care 
is being devoted to public health, future generations, and 
the education sector. 
 
"Perhaps the list of Saddam's crimes should include the well 
built sewage systems established in the Green Zone alone 
which might have left current officials unaware of the 
problems facing the rest of the people. Who can step down to 
the level of the people and make the sewage system the theme 
of his electoral campaign? I don't think such politicians 
exist." 
 
C. "Which Are We Going to Choose: The Horse, Carriage or 
Road?" 
(Al-Mashriq- independent, anti-coalition, Sufi-leaning, 
published this page-ten editorial by Shamil Abdul Qadir) 
 
"The Iraqi people have paid a heavy price for the 
consequences of Saddam's wars. For the first time in more 
than half a century, Iraqis will hold a free election to 
establish a new parliament and government. Hence, this 
election is a national duty that all Iraqis must participate 
in. 
 
"After two years of the occupation of Iraq, it seems that we 
have many choices at the current time. These choices are 
presented according to ideological, humanitarian, 
nationalist, patriotic, Islamic, sectarian and secular 
trends and opinions. Today, the choice is open to everyone 
to elect the strictest and strongest leadership that 
believes in the unity of Iraq. We must choose a leader who 
rejects sectarianism and individual interests. We have to 
choose honest leaders who are not deceived by regional or 
international intelligence services. We are looking for 
leaders who respect and fulfill their promises. 
 
"After two years of tears, pain, terrorism, car bombs and 
sectarian assassinations, Iraqis know today who the best 
leader is for their country. However, Islamists, secularists 
and Kurds are the most probable candidates to win the 
upcoming election--choosing any one of these lists means 
that we choose our road for the new Iraq. But, after the 
bloody hurricane that destroyed us for almost three years, 
who will we choose? Are we going to choose the horse, 
carriage or road?" 
 
D. "This Morning" 
(As-Sabah Al-Jadeed - independent, no bias, published this 
front-page editorial by Ismail Zayyer) 
 
"Hope and safety are undoubtedly coming to Iraq. Every day 
that passes we gain more chances to advance our plan and 
quietly think. Those who were enemies of Iraq have become 
our friends. Frustrated Iraqis have also begun realizing 
that violence is useless. Today, two important developments 
have been recorded. The first is the issue of reducing multi- 
national and U.S. forces in Iraq. U.S. President Bush has 
started to speak publicly about the necessity of reducing 
the number of American forces in Iraq. 
 
"For this reason, we want our politicians to be more 
responsible and establish a clear plan in order to achieve 
the required goal. We do not say that withdrawal means we 
should give up our democratic project in Iraq. At the same 
time, withdrawal does not mean that the killers will assume 
power. In fact, we should not give our enemies any 
opportunity to think they will win. 
 
"The second development is that the Jordanian Al-Ikhwan Al- 
Muslimeen [Muslim Brotherhood] group announced that it would 
support the political process in Iraq. In the past, this 
group called for opposing changes in Iraq. As-Sabeel 
magazine, which is affiliated with this group, published ads 
supporting the Iraqi Islamic Party and called for Iraqis to 
vote for it. I think that this is a very important turn for 
this group because it will have an influence on the group's 
reputation in Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and the Gulf States. 
Today, we are gaining more successes and this means that our 
camp is gaining more strength while the camp of our enemies 
is weakening. In addition to these steps, Zarkawi and his 
group committed his crime against Amman's hotels and the 
tribe of Zarkawi renounced him. All of these acts make us 
more hopeful." 
 
E. "Candidates and Their Ways of Attracting Voters" 
(Az-Zaman - independent, anti-coalition, published this 
front-page editorial by Basim Al-Sheikh) 
 
"Without a doubt, all electoral lists have long-standing 
plans to attract voters. These plans vary because each 
electoral list has its own program and campaign to publicize 
its platforms. Candidates must now understand their limits. 
I think that this is the most important factor for real 
success that can qualify candidates to get what they want. 
Hence, candidates must know trends and affiliations of their 
voters so that their electoral campaigns become successful 
and effective in the community. 
 
"Most candidates think that it is important to convey their 
message to all voters and they do not care about whether or 
not it will affect voters. Consequently, this will 
negatively affect the whole electoral process. If we exploit 
all energies and abilities in the right place, we will have 
more positive results. We know that secular or liberal 
candidates do not expect to gain significant votes in this 
religious environment. At the same time, we do not expect 
that tribal candidates can convey an effective message to a 
developed academic audience. But, the contrary is right. 
 
"Some candidates may resort to randomly giving information 
and conveying messages to voters. They think that such 
information will magnetize voters. In fact, the candidates 
must be accurate in particular when they want to target 
people. If they targeted suitable groups of people, they 
would have greater chances to win the election." 
 
KHALILZAD