This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

241327Z Aug 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 003460 
 
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 BAGHDAD
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQI GOVERNMENT, CONSTITUTION; 
BAGHDAD 
 
 
SUMMARY: Discussions on the Constitution was the major 
editorial theme of the daily newspapers on August 23, 2005. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
------------------------------- 
 
¶A. "Our Constitution is Between Our Hands" (Al-Sabah, 8/23) 
¶B. "Central Iraq" (Al-Mashriq, 8/23) 
¶C. "Why They are Afraid of Establishing Federalism in the 
South of Iraq?" (Al-Bayyan 8/23) 
¶D. "The Constitutional Changing" (Baghdad 8/23) 
¶E. "The Kurds and the Constitutional Crisis" (Al-Fourat 
8/23) 
¶F. "Women and the Freedom of Expression" (Al-Mada 8/23) 
¶G. "Frozen Green Zone People" (Al-Fourat 8/23) 
¶H. "The Calamity Named the Upcoming Constitution" (Al-Dawa 
8/23) 
 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶A. "Our Constitution is Between Our Hands" 
(Al-Sabah Newspaper (Independent) in Arabic P 2 Editorial by 
Falah Al-Mish'al) 
 
"Once again Iraqis have succeed in securing their political 
future, by drafting a national constitution that protects 
the unity and wellbeing of Iraq.  This document favors the 
people over other sectarian or ethnic allegiances . . . This 
accomplishment not only effects the current political 
situation in Iraq, it also represents an Iraqi dream.    It 
is the dream of freedom and civil rights ensured by a 
permanent constitution.  Iraqis have kept that dreams alive 
through decades full of struggle . . . The document will be 
available for all Iraqis to read within two months.   The 
Iraqi people will then vote their opinions just like they 
did during the last election . . . We hope that the same 
efforts that went into the constitution will be applied to 
issuing new legislation toward what remains of Saddam's 
government.  These legislations will suit the new lawful 
democratic state that is born from Constitution. 
Congratulations go out to everyone for this national 
accomplishment and for each step toward granting the rights 
of safety and prosperity for our people." 
 
¶B. "Central Iraq" 
(Al-Mashriq Newspaper (Independent, Anti-Coalition) in 
Arabic p. 7 By Shamil Abdul Qadder) 
 
"There is a confusion about federalism and its relationship 
to breaking up Iraq into separate parts.  Some Iraqi 
political groups only consider federalism in relation to the 
Kurds. It seems that 80% of the Iraqi population do not 
accept any kind of federalism.  They consider it a move 
toward Iraq's destruction . . . Today, the Iraqi political 
groups think that it is necessary to establish a central 
government with the presence of a Kurdish federal territory 
. . . Some politicians believe that presence of a Kurdish 
and Arab federal territories will stabilize security in 
Iraq. Others think that making each province a federal 
territory with the presence of a central government will 
disrupt Iraq's unity.  I believe that if politicians 
continue to insist upon the establishment of federal 
territories we will start to see areas similar to Kurdistan 
such as Basrahstan, Umarahstan and Nasseriyastan . . . We 
all know that the British imperialists tried to cut Iraq off 
from the rest of the world.  The Kurds are in a mountainous 
area.  They are like a small Iraq without a shore.  Hence, 
it is impossible to establish a Kurdish state because the 
land is no more than hills. Israel was successful in 
establishing its own state because it occupied the 
Mediterranean seashore." 
 
¶C. "Why They are Afraid of Establishing Federalism in the 
South of Iraq?" 
(Al-Bayyan Newspaper (Affiliated with the Hezbollah Movement 
in Iraq) in Arabic P 1 Un-attributed Editorial) 
"One day, the late Saudi King Fahad was asked why he asked 
Washington and London to not support the Shi'ites during 
their uprising in 1991?  He said that he was afraid that the 
south of Iraq might become a Shi'ite triangle that would 
extend to all other Arab countries in particular the Gulf 
States. This speech reminds us of the current objections to 
establishing federalism in south of Iraq . . . Why do the 
Iraqi people who live in the south of Iraq suffer from 
poverty when their areas contain a real wealth?  Why they 
are they always exposed to tyranny, mass killing, 
humiliation and marginalization? We believe in the unity of 
Iraq.  But, we would like to know why Kurdistan only has the 
right to federalism when it appears that no other area has 
that right . . . Some Iraqi groups have started to call us 
separatist.  They don't remember that we were the first 
citizens who supported Iraq's unity. We lived in poverty and 
suffered tyranny in a wealthy land.  Yet we never stopped 
supporting Iraq's unity.  We are the real advocates of unity 
and we will support any initiative that will unite the 
country, fight terror and end starvation." 
¶D. "The Constitutional Changing" 
(Baghdad Newspaper (Affiliated with the Iraqi National 
Accord headed by Iyad Allawi) in Arabic P. 3 Editorial by 
Jassem Al-Sagher) 
 
"The new democratic process in Iraq is a unique development 
for the entire Middle East. A civilized Iraqi political 
government will emerge from the referendum and the coming 
election.  It will be structured according to the principles 
of equality, harmony, rule of law, and universal 
participation.  These principles are important for 
supporting the political process . . . Every country needs 
strong political institutions in order to maintain 
stability.   Backward countries do not have these 
institutions . . . We are on the right path toward 
democracy.  We began the journey when we received our 
sovereignty, and then we established the TAL . . . The TAL 
approves modern democratic principles for Iraq.  These 
principles include the mechanisms of democracy, such as the 
establishment of the Ministry for Human Rights. Compare our 
civil society to other countries in the region and you will 
see that we are more advanced.  Our progress is really a 
civilized jump for our Arab region." 
 
¶E. "The Kurds and the Constitutional Crisis" 
(Al-Fourat Newspaper (Independent, Anti-Coalition) in Arabic 
Last Page Editorial by Hayan Al-Baghdadi) 
 
 "After the first gulf war the American government supported 
the idea of Kurdistan being outside the control of the Iraqi 
government . . . The United States did this in order to make 
friends in the region.  They wanted a place where they could 
launch military and intelligence movements in order to 
topple the former Iraqi government . . . During this time 
the Kurds started to form an independent government with a 
parliament and a military (Peshmergas).  They were able to 
do this because they felt that the Americans were protecting 
them.  They also were free from the centralized authority. 
This is how Kurdistan became a semi-independent region. 
They are semi-independent because they need financial and 
political.  This is why they are now arguing over Kirkuk . . 
. The Iraqis will never let go of Kirkuk.  Nor will they 
agree to let the Kurds have it.   It is a Kurdish conspiracy 
to cut Kirkuk from our unified Iraq for their own special 
interests. The question is, will the Kurds succeed in 
forcing their allies to stand with them against the Iraqi 
will for unity?  If they do, they will be cursed by history 
for the rest of time . . . We can assure the Iraqis that the 
rest of the Kurds and its national powers in our northern 
regions reject any idea of separation from mother Iraq . . . 
Because they know that an independent Kurdistan will be an 
easy target for their neighbors and there will be no one 
around to help or save them then." 
 
¶F. "Women and the Freedom of Expression" 
(Al-Mada Newspaper (Communist, Anti-Coalition) in Arabic P. 
6 Editorial by Amina Abdul Aziz) 
 
"By the final deadline for the constitution draft we are all 
expecting a document that will ensure the rights of all 
Iraqi men and women . . . Since the beginning of this 
political process there have been demonstrations started in 
Baghdad from two types of women.  The first type has 
demanded that women have equality with men while the other 
type has rejected the idea of women having equality with men 
. . . With full respect to all point views, there is a 
misunderstanding for the concept of equality. The 
misunderstanding about women's rights, duties, and equality 
between men and women, is due to decades long deprivation 
from expressing free opinions. A significant gap occurred in 
understanding the real meaning of equality, women's freedom, 
their sacrifices and suffering-for their patience they 
deserve practical participation in ruling the country, which 
suits their ambitions and performance. Equality means full 
awareness for the important role of women that is ascendant 
in the new generation, the new future of Iraq. We should 
have our rights in being nominated for senior positions in 
the Iraqi government, to correct what we believe is not 
right for us and to work toward planning for our new 
political role in Iraq. 
¶G. "Frozen Green Zone People" 
(Al-Fourat Newspaper (ant-coalition, independent) in Arabic 
Editorial by Hussain Abdul Abbas Al-Wahili) 
 
 "I can assure you that the people in the frozen green zone 
do not know anything about the change of seasons, they do 
not know that we are now in summer and the heat in Baghdad 
is at peak temperature. To prove what I am talking about, 
they are still wearing suits and jackets with ties; they 
fasten their jackets and they seem that they are shaking 
when they appear on TV as if it were still winter. Are they 
shaking because they are feeling so cold inside the frozen 
green zone, or are they shaking in fear? . Perhaps it's 
because they are embarrassed since they have no answers to 
the many crises we are experiencing regarding the lack of 
water and power. It's as if electricity divorced all Iraqis. 
How a thing named electricity completely abandoned Iraqis is 
a beautiful old story we can tell our children who gather 
around the lamp at night; it will begin with, `once upon a 
time when we enjoyed that lovely element named electricity;' 
and it will continue with water and which was something we 
had in the past and it will go on to something else named 
security. These are our fairy tales now, how to apologize to 
your neighbor when he abuses your rights and how to stay 
silent when someone occupies your land. They all live in the 
green zone. Iraqi government and national assembly members, 
the ministers and the coalition, and all other employees 
working with them and that is why they do not know about 
Iraqis who live outside the green zone and that is why they 
are leading us with Transparency and Democracy. 
¶H. "The Calamity Named the Upcoming Constitution" 
(Al-Dawa Newspaper (Pro-Government) in Arabic P. 5 Editorial 
by Hady Jallaow Mariy) 
 
"There are three basic political factions asking for 
demands, insisting on them, and showing their opposition to 
it. The first is the Kurds, who dream of a separate 
province. The second is the Sunnis who want the opposite of 
the Kurds. The last is the Shia who believe in the necessity 
of finishing the constitution on time; they also have 
limitations in what they're willing to relinquish. It's not 
only politicians who are committed like them, it's the 
majority of Iraqis who believe in this commitment. At the 
same time, some factions are calling for the refusal of 
certain issues in the constitution, which are related to 
federalism, because they believe it will divide the country. 
The problem is how will Iraqis convince those with 
intertwined attitudes about the constitution? Especially 
since there are wide sectors of the populace still suffering 
from abuses inflicted by the former regime and it 
activities. parliamentary block leaders are responsible for 
reaching the final accord, and that can be achieved through 
concessions. The results will be in the interests of the 
Iraqi people because any more postponement or dissolution of 
the National Assembly will take Iraq back to the first step, 
and that sequences will reflect negatively on the Iraqi 
people, which is dangerous. The Iraqi people are waiting for 
the results of the upcoming negotiations with anxiety." 
 
 
Khalilzad