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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000036 
 
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: The major themes in today's editorials included the 
formation of the next government and the results of the 
December 15 election. 
 
In Ad-Dustoor's fifth page editorial, "National 
Considerations before Election Results," Mahmoud Al-Shamri 
argues that the current situation in Iraq, burdened by 
sectarian division, requires a government founded upon 
national unity rather than a government determined by 
election results. Al-Mada's sixth page unattributed 
editorial, "Politicians Are a Source of Public Concern," 
criticizes the politicians who are driving the political 
scene towards a crisis without concern for people's desire 
to lead normal lives. And independent Az-Zaman published a 
fourth page editorial titled "Don Quixote and the Wind 
Mills" in which the author criticizes the sectarian lobbying 
that took place during the elections and continues to occur 
today.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
------------------------------- 
 
¶A. "Death Certificate for Cairo Conference Agreement" (Al- 
Basaer, 1/4) 
¶B. "Accepters and Rejecters" (Al-Mashriq, 1/4) 
¶C. "People Always the Victims" (Al-Bayyna Al-Jadeedah, 1/4) 
¶D. "National Project" (Al-Adala, 1/4) 
 
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SELECTED COMMENTARIES 
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¶A. "Death Certificate for Cairo Conference Agreement" 
(Al-Basaer, affiliated with the Muslim Scholars' 
Association, published a front-page unattributed editorial 
about the Cairo Conference for Iraqi reconciliation. The 
editorial reads in part) 
 
"The criminal and inhumane acts practiced by the authorities 
are considered a death certificate for the agreement that 
was reached at the Cairo Reconciliation Conference. For many 
Iraqis, the conference offered hope for a reduction in the 
violence and evil that started in the country at the 
beginning of the occupation and continues today. If only 
there were good intentions and the general interest would 
come before personal interests-but that is a dream that will 
not come true. This indicates that some of the groups that 
participated in the Cairo Conference were neither serious in 
their commitments nor genuine in their desire to end 
terrorism." 
  ¶B. "Accepters and Rejecters" 
(Al-Mashriq, independent, published a front-page editorial 
by Dr. Hameed Abdullah about the honesty of the elections. 
The editorial reads in part) 
 
"Between the rejecters' statements and the accepters' 
replies concerning the honesty of the elections, the Iraqi 
citizen continues to wait for the end of the battle. The 
Iraqi citizen spent all of his life involved in wars-first 
due to the rulers' foolishness, another time due to large 
countries' conspiracies, and a third time due to 
politicians' eagerness for power. All of that is because of 
oil; if our country was not full of oil, no one would be 
interested." 
 
¶C. "People Always the Victims" 
(Al-Bayyna Al-Jadeedah, affiliated with the Shiite Political 
Council, published a front-page unattributed editorial about 
the violence. The editorial reads in part) 
 
"The Iraqi-Iranian war lasted eight years without any change 
in the political map for either country. If all areas that 
claim to be resisting kill half of the Shiite citizens in 
the south, would that change the balance or would the 
Ba'thists regain power? And if the Kurds do their best, 
would they make Kurdistan an independent state? And if the 
Shiites have all of the authority and wealth in southern 
Iraq, would they be able to establish a practical government 
or a state that contains a variety of ethnicities and sects? 
Let the reasonable men think and figure out that there is no 
way but to accept the reality and reject the principle of 
excluding others. The incessant blind violence is considered 
the beginning of the end for a country called Iraq." 
 
¶D. "National Project" 
(Al-Adala, affiliated with SCIRI, published a second-page 
editorial by Dr. Ali Khalaif about the establishment of a 
national unity government. The editorial reads in part) 
 
"The democratic changes in Iraq over the past three years 
make everybody optimistic about the future of the political 
process in the new Iraq, as opposed to what the negative 
media describes. [The media] attempts to show the negative 
more than the positive. Certainly the establishment of the 
new government, which will perform based on the constitution 
that Iraqis voted for, will be a major factor in eliminating 
any enemy of the new Iraq. The agreement by the patriotic 
groups on a joint vision for establishing a national unity 
government will be the real end for the terrorists. A joint 
vision will serve the people and work for the country's 
interest." 
 
KHALILZAD