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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BAGHDAD 005012 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR ARAB MEDIA UNIT 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC PGOV KMDR IZ
SUBJECT:  Electoral War Heats up -- Jazeera and Furat 
Channel Feuds Spark Demonstrations in Baghdad 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  In the most notable example of the 
intensified electoral debate in the media, a candidate's 
complaints on al-Jazeera about the "meddling of" Shia 
clergy in Iraqi politics sparked condemnations by Shia 
Islamist media outlets and provoked demonstrations in 
Baghdad December 14.  Outlets of all stripes -- except 
perhaps al-Fayha TV -- appear to have violated IECI rules 
governing media behavior which banned political ads as of 
December 14.  The IECI confirms there have been violations, 
but assures the public the voting process remains credible. 
Sharqiya and Fayha TV have provided the most balanced 
coverage, with KDP (Barzani), SCIRI (Hakim), and IIP (Tarik 
al-Hashemi) outlets showing the least regard for media 
ethics.  New groups, including some insurgents, have used 
the media to promote voting and/or non-violence.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
Media Frenzy Begins December 13 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Voting and electoral coverage ramped up again 
December 13 to cover voting by Iraqis in hospitals, 
detention facilities, military bases and overseas.  Channels 
pulled out all the stops to drum up support and 
participation.  Most newspapers stopped publishing December 
12, so voters turned to television.  Most channels devoted 
50-75 percent of their airtime to the election.  Themes 
included motivational and informative public service 
announcements, paid advertising for candidates and lists, 
and debates and talk shows, with the debate becoming more 
heated in the final stretch of the campaign. 
 
Al-Jazeera Sparks a War with Shia Islamist Channels 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The media debate took an unexpected turn December 
14 with a heated war of words between Shia Islamist outlets 
and pan-Arab al-Jazeera.  "Opposing Viewpoints" featured a 
moderated debate between Fadil Al-Rabia' (exiled Iraqi 
author) and Fuad Al Samawwi, an Iraqi politician.  Rabia' 
made the following points:  the U.S. had erred by handing 
Iraq's government to forces controlled by the Marja' (Shia 
Islamic religious authorities), which kills and tortures 
Iraqis through the Badr brigades; Iraq has a reactionary 
religious government; the clerics are scaring citizens by 
telling them it's a sin not to vote; the government has 
legalized occupation. 
 
¶4.  (U) Samawwi countered:  Iraq is not like Iran because it 
does not have the system of velayat-i-faqih (guardianship of 
the jurist, which advocates for an interventionist role of 
clerics); the Marja' is a safety valve for Iraq; occupation 
came from Arab countries and clerics in Saudi Arabia; if you 
vote for the candle (555) list, God will be with you.  While 
the moderator clearly favored Rabia's point of view, the 
station presented alternate, albeit very emotional, points 
of view 
 
¶5.  (U) After the show aired, al-Furat TV (associated with 
SCIRI and the United Iraqi Coalition, 555) reported that al- 
Jazeera "violated the sacred position of Imam al-Sistani;" 
viewers called to condemn the channel as the mouthpiece of 
"Ba'athists and Salafists."  One caller noted "Sistani needs 
to just give us the word and we'll put an end to these 
Jazeera reports."  The presenter cautioned moderation, 
advising "you don't need a sign from Sistani, just go and 
vote for the right people and that will solve the problem." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) By mid-afternoon, al-Furat and al-Iraqiya reported 
that tribal sheikhs, clerics, and officials condemned al- 
Jazeera.  Both stations ran reports of demonstrations in al- 
Rashdiya, Husainya and Bab al-Sham (Shia neighborhoods in 
Baghdad suburbs).  An embassy employee phoned in to say 
there were pro-Sistani demonstrations in Haifa Street. 
Secular Shia al-Fayha also condemned al-Jazeera, noting that 
the station "was well known for hurting people with its 
impolitic manner of discussing sensitive issues.  Iraqi 
politicians should boycott it . . . because it is inciting 
violence." 
 
Sunnis No Saints 
----------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Sunni stations both commercial and party-funded, 
pan-Arab and Iraqi) focused on urging the "departure of 
occupation forces" and putting an end to Iranian meddling. 
There were possibly inappropriate religious references to 
guide voters.  Baghdad TV (Iraqi Islamic Party) superimposed 
on its screen the Koranic verse "tomorrow is close for those 
who wait," implying that Sunnis should go to the polls to 
seek revenge (presumably against the  Shia-led government). 
Baghdad TV on the 13th also aired an ad which depicted a 
snake curling out of Iran to encircle Iraq.  Likewise, 
Baghdad TV was the only channel we monitored carrying AFP 
reports about the discovery by police in Wasit province of a 
truck entering from Iran with fake ballots. 
 
Sharqiya Gives Airtime to Rebut Furat TV 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Sunni-Shia (or secular/Islamist) tension 
carried over to Sharqiya, which December 14 became the 
"Voice Against al-Furat TV."  Al-Sharqiya reported that Aziz 
Al-Yasiri, head of the Iraqi Democratic Current (772 list), 
denied media rumors that his list had joined the 555 list. 
Yasiri phoned in to condemn "an unnamed channel" (al-Furat 
TV) for making false claims. 
 
¶9.  (U) Sharqiya also carried denials of PM candidate Hazim 
al-Sha'alan, of the National Forces Parliament (511 list), 
that his list had withdrawn from the race.  Sha'alan said he 
had forwarded complaints to the IECI.  The gripes were not 
just inter-ethnic.  Mohammad Jassim Khudayer, the head of 
the (Shia) Islamic Da'wa Movement 553 list (and ironically 
the deputy director of al-Iraqiya TV) also turned to 
Sharqiya to deny rumors that his list had withdrawn from the 
race.  He demanded that the IECI put an end to media 
violations. 
 
Violence and Claims of Fraud Featured on Most Media 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶10.  (U) There were several claims of violations of IECI 
regulations governing media coverage.  U.S. sponsored al- 
Hurra was apparently among the violators.  We received a 
call late December 14 from Maysoon Ad-Damlooji (the deputy 
Minister of Culture) who alleged that al-Hurra was airing an 
interview with Hussein Shahrastani stumping for the Shi'a 
list 555, in violation of the IECI's ban on political 
broadcasts as of December 14.  Ironically, there were 
reports in independent al-Dustoor on December 13 that 
Damlooji herself violated IECI regulations by bringing 
theater and cinema contacts from the ministry to meet with 
Allawi and received payments for their effort. 
 
¶11.  (U) Al-Arabiya broke the news of the death of Tawfeeq 
al Yasiri (Sunni candidate) in Ramadi December 13; however 
the station rebroadcast an old interview in which Yasiri 
accused the MOD and MOI of planning his arrest, apparently 
trying to implicate the government in Yasiri's death. 
 
¶12.  (U)  Sharqiya reported that gunmen assassinated 
candidate Mizhir al-Dulaymi in Ramadi on 13 December.  They 
aired an interview with Ayad al-Samarrai (IIP) in which he 
noted that violence will not prevent Iraqis from voting. 
Still, Dulaymi said voters expected fraud by the government 
and he condemned the use of religious symbols in the 
campaign.  Sharqiya also seems to have violated the 
"blackout."  One contact reports the station carried a press 
conference of Prime Minister Ja'aferi during the blackout; 
the station also replayed an interview with Al-Sharif Ali 
Bin Hussein mid-day on the 14th. 
 
¶13.  (U) Most stations carried warnings by Abd-al-Aziz al- 
Hakim, head of the Unified Iraqi Coalition [UIC] list, that 
he feared attempts vote-rigging.  Iraqiya gave more details, 
noting that Hakim said his party would "not remain silent 
about vote-rigging" like it did in January. 
 
¶14.  (U) Moqtada Sadr supporters also turned up the heat, 
possibly violating IECI rules against incitement.  Hadi al- 
Amiri, secretary general of the Badr Organization, 
affiliated with Sadr, told al-Iraqiya that he did not accept 
the IECI decision to allow Ba'athists to take part in 
elections "even though the De-Ba'athification Committee 
opposed the candidacy of some Ba'athists."  Amiri said that 
Badr would not accept the Ba'th Party and warned that his 
organization "might oppose their inclusion with force." 
 
IECI Notes Media Violations, but 
Says Overall Process is Sound 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶15.  (U) The IECI announced December 14 that voting would 
begin in Iraqi at 7:00 am December 15.  IECI official Abdul 
Hussein al-Hindawi denied reports of fake ballots entering 
Iraq from Iran.  He also tried to allay concerns about 
fraud.  "It is impossible to guarantee the honesty of an 
electoral process unless you have honest electoral 
officials, monitors, and the UN."  He noted all three were 
in place for this election.  He said 6280 electoral centers 
had been set up with 33,000 voting stations.  Hindawi also 
indicated that "some entities violated the media blackout 
period; they will be punished and their names will be 
announced this evening."  The IECI called on the government 
to remove electoral posters before voting begins. 
 
Overseas Voting 
--------------- 
 
¶16.  (U)  Most channels carried extensive coverage of 
overseas voting, especially al-Iraqiya and the Kurdish 
channels (KurdSat and KurdistanTV).  Sharqiya reported 
December 13 that "Iraqi expatriates in 15 Arab and foreign 
countries headed to polling centers to choose new members 
for the Iraqi parliament."  Al-Iraqiya reporters in Amman 
said turnout there was higher than in January.  Iraqiya also 
ran stories promoting Iraqi security forces' capabilities to 
secure election sites. 
 
More Calls for Restraint and 
Participation from all Sides 
---------------------------- 
 
¶17.  (U) Insurgent groups joined key religious figures to 
urge if not voting at least non-violence; this should boost 
turnout.  Sharqiya carried statements of the Islamic Army in 
Iraq (an insurgent group) asking followers to not attack 
electoral centers.  At the same time, the group said it does 
not support the political process. 
 
¶18.  Al-Arabiya TV on 13 December interviewed by phone Ahmad 
Abd-al-Ghafur al-Samarrai, head of the Sunni Waqf in Iraq. 
Samarrai said that a large number of Sunni Muslim scholars 
issued a fatwa urging people to vote.  Asked if he was 
concerned "that some Sunni areas have declared a state of 
emergency," Samarrai says the Iraqis are sensible and "they 
have realized the danger of non-participation." 
 
¶19.  (U) Sharqiya carried a statement by Ayatollah Mohammad 
Taqi al Modarissy, an influential Shia cleric in Iraq's 
south, calling on Iraqis to participate in elections and to 
elect "the right people" to represent them. 
 
Sharqiya and Fayha Strike the Best Balance 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶20.  (U) Sharqiya and al-Fayha had the most balanced 
coverage in this intense election phase.  Sharqiya aired ads 
for all sects and affiliations.  These ran the gamut from 
home videos for a small Sunni party in Mosul to Allawi's 
sophisticated spiel.  Sharqiya -- unlike Iraqiya -- also 
carried ads critical of the coalition.  Salih Al-Mutlaq's 
Iraqi Accord Front aired an ad showing US tanks and bullets 
and blood on a wall, with the comment:  "Iraqis did not 
suffer from the occupation, they suffered from its 
aftermath."  At the same time, Sharqiya aired security 
promotions which are usually only seen on Iraqiya. 
 
¶21.  (U)  Sharqiya aired a thoughtful interview with Vice 
President Adel Abdul Mahdi (United Iraqi Coalition 555) 
List) in which he noted that "people who claim Iraq is 
splitting apart are wrong; Iraqis have been united for 
thousands of years.  Concerns about natural resources are 
also misguided.  In fact, Western areas are richer than the 
south.  People who object to Kurdish federalism and 
federalism in other regions simply fear change.  But we must 
move on, this experiment will work."  Sharqiya may have been 
the only station to pull off direct debates between 
candidates, although not the most well known.  They 
moderated debates with Ali Debbagh and Mohammed Jassim al- 
Khudayer (each the head of a second tier list) debating 
other candidates for office. 
 
¶22.  (U) Al-Fayha (privately financed, Shia, secular) also 
portrayed a wide array of opinions and information.  One 
talk show host on the 13 reported that some coalitions tried 
to bribe voters, and the station carried interviews in which 
citizens complained about excessive campaign expenditures. 
It also aired an extensive interview with influential 
secular Shia editor of al-Sabah newspaper, Mohammed Abdul- 
Jabbar, in which he discussed the importance of public 
broadcasting and media freedoms.  The station delved into 
tricky economic questions that received little attention in 
other outlets.  Fayha also went public to condemn stations 
that broke the media blackout; it was the only station we 
monitored which appeared to respect all IEIC guidelines, 
while also trying to provoke thoughtful review of issues. 
It also condemned the al-Jazeera broadcast. 
 
KHALILZAD