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 004984 
 
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: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQI GOVERNMENT, DECEMBER 15th 
ELECTION, TRANSPARENCY; BAGHDAD 
 
SUMMARY: [Due to a curfew and travel ban throughout Iraq 
during the election period, Iraqi newspapers will not 
publish from December 14-17.] The major theme in today's 
editorials was the upcoming election on Thursday. 
 
Analysis: The KDP's At-Taakhi published a page-three 
editorial entitled, "Kurdistan List 730 is the List for All 
Iraqis" which again detailed the importance of Iraqis voting 
for the Kurdish list because it represents the ambitions of 
all sects in Iraq. 
 
SCIRI run Al-Adala published a page-six editorial, "Why I 
Should Vote for the UIA's List 555." 
 
Independent Al-Mada's back-page editorial, "On the Way to 
the Elections" dealt with the vacuousness of electoral 
slogans and how candidates ignore implementing their 
promises after they win in the elections. 
 
Both Allawi's newspaper Baghdad and Chalabi's Al-Muatamar 
today were devoid of editorials and instead focused on news 
items and interviews with candidates on their respective 
lists. END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
------------------------------- 
 
¶A. "A Silent Day Among Voters and Candidates" (Ad-Dustoor, 
12/13) 
¶B. "Beware of Victory" (Al-Ittihad, 12/13) 
C "For Whom Shall We Vote?" (Al-Mashriq, 12/13) 
¶D. "The Important Word is Silence" (Al-Watan, 12/13) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶A. "A Silent Day Among Voters and Candidates" 
(Ad-Dustoor - independent, no bias, published this front- 
page editorial by Bassim Al-Sheikh) 
 
"Tomorrow will be a silent day when media outlets will not 
be able to broadcast or publish electoral campaigns for 
candidates. The specified period of time that was given to 
the candidates was enough to publicize their electoral 
advertisings and platforms. 
 
"Before tomorrow, Iraqi voters must decide who to choose in 
the election. I think voters have studied and made a 
comparison among all platforms and slogans in order to reach 
a final decision. We know that the large numbers of 
candidates have negatively affected or confused voters' 
choices. However, the majority of voters have made their 
decisions in advance and electoral campaigns will never be 
able to sway their minds. These kinds of decisions have been 
made according to sectarian, ethnic or nationalist 
affiliations. Hence, this can be considered bigotry which 
also means a significant loss for the democratic practice-- 
democracy does not mean bias towards a specific sect or 
group. 
 
"In any case, there is a small group of people who are 
calling for the interest of the country rather than their 
individual self-interest. This group is working hard to 
convey their message to other people but it seems that no 
one is listening to them. People should be aware and open- 
minded in order to distinguish between the semi-important 
and the most important issues. I think our society is not 
ready for this stage of democracy because our people need 
more training in democracy." 
 
¶B. "Beware of Victory" 
(Al-Ittihad - affiliated with the PUK, led by Jalal 
Talabani, pro-coalition, published this page-four editorial 
by Abdul Muni'm Al-Assam) 
 
"We must warn here of exacerbating the conflict within 
electoral competition that threatens to transcend the rules 
of the political process. We have noticed many slogans, 
threats, and statements, which were launched during the 
electoral campaign that caused much fear in the political 
arena. We have started to fear that political parties that 
participate in the election had begun to forget that they 
function in the framework of the political process. 
 
"The electoral campaign has witnessed practices that are 
distant from the principles of democracy. We started to see 
threats and revenge among candidates. However, we know that 
many of them were friends during the former period of Iraqi 
opposition. Most of them had one goal which was to end the 
dictatorship and establish a constitutional, federal and 
democratic state in Iraq. 
 
"Marginalization and using non-democratic practices during 
the electoral competition will damage the political future 
of Iraq. I do not think that the next government will be 
able to remove these obstacles and restore security and 
stability if such things continue in Iraq. Those, who think 
that the winners in the next election will be the winners 
forever, are wrong. The reality indicates that the battle to 
build democracy and the new Iraq is a long-term and risky 
fight." 
 
¶C. "For Whom Shall We Vote?" 
(Al-Mashriq- affiliated with the Coalition of Iraqi National 
Unity, anti-coalition, Sufi-leaning, published this page-ten 
editorial by Shamil Abdul Qadr) 
 
"There is no less than 48 hours left for Iraqis to elect the 
new members of parliament. The question is who we will elect 
among the tens of blocs and lists. Shall I vote for the one 
who is part of my sect, or nationality, or part of my party? 
Whom shall we elect for the parliament which will decide 
Iraq's course for the coming four years? 
 
"You should elect the one who did not collaborate with the 
occupation for any reason; who did not contribute to killing 
Iraqis or destroying their houses; who did not destroy Najaf 
and Fallujah, or shoot people in Basrah or Karabla; who did 
not steal from Iraq; who neither assassinated one scientist 
or professor, nor a pilot or officer in the former Iraqi 
Army! Elect the one who really belongs to Iraq, who has an 
Iraqi mother and father, Iraqi by birth; who did not 
cooperate with the intelligence services of neighboring 
countries; who lived among his people and suffered with them 
for more than 20 years of dictatorship and 13 years of 
unjust sanctions. You should elect the one who memorizes the 
holy Qur'an and loves God and the prophet Muhammad; who 
establishes jihad as a religious duty for himself! Who calls 
and insists on a timetable for the withdrawal of the 
occupation.  Elect the one whose loyalty to Iraq is not 
suspect and does not consider sectarianism.  Elect anyone 
who calls for national unity and puts Iraq at the top of his 
interests before his ambitions. Elect the one who puts Iraq 
first." 
 
¶D. "The Important Word is Silence" 
(Al-Watan - anti-coalition, affiliated with the (Sunni) 
Iraqi National Movement led by Dr. Hatem Mukhlis, published 
this page-eleven editorial by Daoud Al-Farhan) 
 
"Iraqis, who were deprived of elections for more than half a 
century, voted three times in one year. The first time, they 
voted to form a temporary government. The second time they 
voted in the referendum for the distorted constitution, 
which was passed through forgery. Now, we have the first 
parliamentary election to choose a four-year national 
assembly. But, does this mean that Iraqis have begun to 
enjoy a typical democracy that accompanied U.S. tanks? What 
did the Iraqi people gain from the last election? What is 
the benefit of a constitution that cares about human rights 
while the government is violating human rights? 
 
"When we read the slogans of electoral lists, especially 
those that govern the country today, we feel that Iraqis are 
living in another country. All electoral slogans speak about 
democracy, security and human rights. In addition, all 
candidates speak about electoral dreams and promises that 
will not be implemented. However, the Iraqi people hope that 
the coming election will depose all politicians who call for 
sectarianism, sedition, oppression, terrorism and revenge. 
 
"Citizens have the right to freely express their opinions 
because this is the beautiful face of democracy. But, 
democracy also has an ugly face that is the problem of the 
majority and minority, a miserable principle used to form 
nations and states throughout the world. We noticed that the 
past two-and-a-half years since the American occupation have 
been lost. We watched maneuvers, embezzlement, liquidations 
and removal [deba'athification] during that period. We saw 
how those who condemned mass graves became gravediggers. We 
noticed how those who rejected dictatorship and tyranny 
became the new dictators. 
"What can elections accomplish in such circumstances? What 
can politicians do in order to convince people that they are 
trustworthy? Citizens do not care about politicians' 
electoral slogans because they see only car bombs, 
occupiers' tanks, the prisons of the Ministry of Interior, 
the bombing of cities, oil smuggling, and the division of 
the country. Moreover, they see assassinations, blind 
violence, corruption and lack of public services and all of 
these issues contradict what candidates speak about. We do 
not care about who will win the elections because ethnic 
power sharing and sectarianism will continue. But, the Iraqi 
people have another silent word to say." 
 
KHALILZAD