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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 003906 
 
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
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - September 21, 2005 
 
SUMMARY: Discussion on Sunni political representation, 
terrorism, and American culpability were the major editorial 
themes of Iraqi, Arabic language websites on September 21, 
¶2005. END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------ 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
------------------------------ 
 
¶A. "The National Sunni Majority Is Marginalized; Saleh Al- 
Mutlag Represents the Ba'ath Party" (Al-Rafidain, 9/21) 
¶B. "Who Is Behind Terror in Iraq?" (Summereon, 9/21) 
¶C. "When Will the American Mind Think in the Iraqi Style?" 
(Al-Nahrain, 9/21) 
--------------------------------------- 
SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
 
 
¶A. "The National Sunni Majority Is Marginalized; Saleh Al- 
Mutlag Represents the Ba'ath Party" 
(Editorial by Hamed Al-Hamadani-Ar- 
Rafidain-http://www.alrafidayn.com/index.html ) 
 
"As Iraq passes through these difficult times, we notice the 
absence of the Sunni majority from the Iraqi political 
scene. Terrorist groups forced them to boycott the January 
30th election and they lost their right to participate. 
Saleh Al-Mutlag and a few of his relatives were selected to 
represent the majority of Sunnis in the permanent 
constitutional committee. We have the right to ask the 
following questions: 
 
      How were Saleh Al-Mutlag and his friends selected to 
     represent the Sunnis? 
      On what basis were they selected? 
      Who is responsible for the decision? 
      What is the negative impact on Sunnis that has resulted 
     from this choice? 
 
"We have to find answers to reveal the true reason for this 
his 
choice and who stood behind it. Saleh Al-Mutlag represents 
the toppled Ba'ath party's opinions and reflects its ideas; 
he declared his attitude publicly when he defended his 
Ba'athist comrades and called for annulling the draft 
constitution's article on deba'athification. 
 
"It seems that the American embassy in Baghdad selected Al- 
Mutlag and his group to balance the Shiite political faction 
that now controls the government, and the Ba'athists who 
claim to be secular. I think the U.S. did this to prevent 
the establishment of a religious and sectarian Shiite 
government in Iraq. But we are curious as to why the U.S. 
was unable to find genuine, national, patriotic, and 
faithful Sunni members to represent the Sunnis in the 
political process. Is the U.S. not serious about 
establishing a democratic government in our country? Does it 
want to create an Iraqi government that implements the 
American planned agenda in the entire Middle East? 
 
"This is dangerous for Iraq's future and dangerous for 
democracy in our country because Ba'athists do not believe 
in democracy; they want to make use of democracy to practice 
dictatorship. The Sunnis and all other Iraqi sects have 
rejected Saleh Al-Mutlag because he is not representative of 
the Sunnis. Choosing Al-Mutlag to represent the Sunnis is a 
big mistake because it has created sectarian hatred between 
the Shiites and the Sunnis, hatred that will destroy our 
efforts to build a democratic and free Iraq." 
 
¶B. "Who Is Behind Terror in Iraq?" 
(Editorial by Ala'a Al-Rifaei - Summereon - 
http://www.summereon.net/583.html) 
 
"The Iraqi arena has witnessed a lot of terror, murder, and 
explosions since the fall of the Ba'athist regime. The 
increase in the number of operations and subsequent increase 
in the number of victims has become a key roadblock in 
establishing the new Iraq state. Who is behind these 
terrorist attacks? 
 
"I think there are a lot of parties inside and outside of 
Iraq that are directly and indirectly involved in the 
current Iraqi situation. One of these terrorists is [Abu 
Musab] Al-Zarqawi, who took the reigns from the 
Ba'athists/Aflaqist trend, or we can say that the remaining 
Ba'athists enlisted in Islamic groups that, in the end, are 
all part of the Al-Qaeda organization. 
 
"There are terrorist groups composed of those who benefited 
under the former regime. They hide under religion but do not 
have any links to Al-Qaeda. These groups maintain strong 
links with the irresponsible media, who label their actions 
with different names such as `Jihad' and `honest 
resistance'; these misleading media outlets, such as Al- 
Jazeera, Al-Sharqiya, and dishonest writers, recruit young 
men from outside of Iraq. 
 
"Additionally, some neighboring countries disguise their 
acts behind their official statements claiming they are 
fighting terror, but we know some of these countries 
maintain terrorist training camps. 
 
"Another cause of these terrorist attacks is the American 
administration and its regional policy. The U.S. dissolved 
the Iraqi army and opened the borders so that terrorists 
groups could make Iraq a multi-national war zone. 
 
"Then there are domestic conditions that contribute to 
terror, such as unemployment and administrative corruption, 
which entice young men to execute terror attacks for 
financial profit. Most of these people have college degrees 
and qualifications, but they are unable to pay a bribe for 
employment, and sometimes they have specific allegiances to 
one party or another. Wouldn't it have been better for the 
government if these people were watching the borders instead 
of spending large amounts of money on corrupt projects? 
 
"The government should select a well qualified, reputed and 
non-sectarian party to share power and assign them to 
sensitive government posts so the future government will not 
be accused of corruption as the current one is. 
 
"These are some of the problems. Maybe we will have another 
discussion if the government finds solutions." 
 
¶C. "When Will the American Mind Think in the Iraqi Style?" 
(Editorial by Wesam Al-Said Taher - Al-Nahrain - 
http://www.nahrainnet.net/news/51/ARTICLE/463 9/2005-09- 
21.html ) 
 
"Anyone who follows the American mindset will discover that 
Iraq is still an unknown and incomprehensible world for him. 
If we take what the American media writes, it indicates that 
the elite journalists are primarily concerned with politics. 
At least they know that most Americans are ignorant about 
Iraq's location on the globe, and that they don't know who 
the rat is, Saddam or Iraq. We notice they form an image of 
Iraq similar to a crossword puzzle. They fill in these 
puzzles in every stage with temporary words, only to be 
erased and filled in with new terms after conditions change. 
 
"If Arabs say: `He who lives with a certain group for forty 
days will become one of them,' then Americans either do not 
want to understand the reality (and this is the stronger 
possibility) or they have a proverb that states the period 
is forty years-not forty days! 
 
"Although they are in Iraq, they still believe what their 
leaders in Washington provide; their viewpoints are imported 
and, in most cases, old-fashioned and nave. 
 
"They deal with everyone present as a representative or 
leader without researching the capability of his leadership. 
A simple example is the confusion you sense in the American 
media when they deal with an Iraqi issue. Many of the 
articles consist of contradictory parts, giving the 
impression that the writer is conflicted between the 
information he has and the reality of the situation. 
 
"And they are dealing with some leaders who have kidnapped 
the voice of `Sunni Arabs,' demonstrating their ignorance of 
Iraqi realities. Their luck is represented by their ability 
to access American factions and not share authority with 
others. 
 
"They use whatever they want to gain concessions; it is a 
sign that they lack the hope to pressure those who steal 
their voices in order to vote against the constitution. 
 
Will the Americans learn the lesson .." 
 
SATTERFIELD