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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ULAANBAATAR 000367 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD 
HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007) 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: MARR PREL OPRC KMDR MG IZ
SUBJECT: Editorial Urges End to Mongolian Support in Iraq 
 
Ref: Ulaanbaatar 0358 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
1.(U) SUMMARY:  Major daily "Onooder" published a front page 
editorial (text at para 5) urging the Mongolian government not to 
send another deployment of Mongolian peacekeepers to Iraq.  This 
editorial appears timed to influence Mongolia's National Security 
Council (President, Prime Minister, and Speaker) and Cabinet, which 
are poised to make a decision soon as to whether Mongolia should 
send its 8th rotation to Iraq.  To date, Onooder is alone among 
Mongolia's media in taking a position on Mongolia's Iraq rotation. 
The previous week, Onooder offered factual, accurate reporting of 
visiting EAP Assistant Secretary Hill's expression of thanks to 
Mongolia for its support in Iraq (reftel).  END SUMMARY. 
 
COMMENT:  Onooder the First to Oppose Iraq Rotation 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) Comment: Immediately under the editorial's opening 
paragraph printed on the front page, there was an article about a US 
Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant to EZnis Airways, a 
Mongolian company.  It was accompanied by a photograph of Ambassador 
Minton signing the grant with US and Mongolian flags in the 
background.  While delivering an editorial critical of sending 
Mongolian troops to Iraq, the paper still highlighted American 
support for the Mongolian economy. To date, Onooder is alone among 
Mongolia's media in taking a position on Mongolia's Iraq rotation. 
Earlier this week, Onooder headlined Assistant Secretary Hill's 
remarks encouraging foreign investment in Mongolia.  The newspaper 
has consistently acknowledged the importance of US economic support 
in Mongolia, despite the strong language against continued support 
in Iraq. 
 
¶3. (SBU) However, today's editorial questions American motivations 
for providing MCC funding and clearly ties MCC support to Mongolia's 
troops in Iraq: "It would not be an exaggeration to say that the 
over 200 million US Dollars that we were so keen to obtain from the 
Millennium Challenge Corporation is the money we are going to get 
thanks to those ordinary soldiers.  Without them, just by 
considering the corruption and the abuse of one's official positions 
in our country, not a cent would have been given to us by the 
Americans."  The previous week, Onooder offered factual, accurate 
reporting of visiting EAP Assistant Secretary Hill's expression of 
thanks to Mongolia for its support in Iraq (reftel).  End comment. 
 
Onooder's Owner and Background 
------------------------------ 
 
4.(SBU) Onooder is widely viewed as a reliable, independent daily. 
Its circulation exceeds 10,000, which is high for Mongolia.  Onooder 
is owned by media magnate and businessman Ts. Baldorj, who also owns 
the English language newspaper "UB Post," TV "Channel 25," a 
countryside resort, an agency that sends Mongolian laborers to 
Korea, and majority shares of the Ulaanbaatar Hotel in the city 
center.  According to rumors, the late Sh. Otgonbileg, who was 
General Director of Erdenet Copper, provided Baldorj the money to 
establish Onooder and buy its printing facilities in 1996.  Baldorj 
is also a close friend of former President Bagabandi.  These three 
men were originally from Zavkhan province, and were perceived as one 
of the most powerful factions in the late 1990s.  When Bagabandi was 
President, Onooder was very supportive of his policies. 
 
¶5. (U)  June 22, 2007 Onooder Editorial: 
 
BEGIN TEXT: 
Please Don't Send Troops for an 8th Rotation to Iraq 
By D. Zayabat 
 
These days, when the US presidential election marathon is winding up 
more and more, the candidates do not spare each other, but the 
majority of them have an identical stand on the issue of bringing 
back the troops and ending the war in Iraq, which took the lives of 
several tens of thousands of American soldiers and of hundreds of 
thousands of Iraqi citizens.  The esteemed candidates claim in 
unison that they will stop the war and withdraw the troops from 
Iraq. Thousands of people paid with their lives for the "fireworks," 
initiated by G. Bush.  With father G. Bush, who started the war in 
the Persian Gulf, seemingly they belong to a family of warriors. 
The Americans have had enough of the war and call it a Second 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000367  002 OF 003 
 
 
Vietnam. 
 
The war-protest civil movements are becoming more and more active 
throughout the country.  As we say, "The one caught with guilt will 
kill."  President G. Bush keeps the war running while searching for 
a massive destruction weapon the existence of which is unknown.  It 
is highly doubtful that the religion, which survived centuries and 
centuries, and the anti-American spirit, which has persisted for 
several years, will be annihilated at once. Today the whole world is 
criticizing America that by getting in war with Iraq, it stirred up 
the entire Muslim world and triggered terrorism to a level unknown 
before.  Even the close partners of America started turning their 
backs because of its aggressive foreign policy.  The Mongolian 
proverb says, "Don't call upon yourself the trouble you are not 
involved in."  That means that we don't wish to lose our soldiers as 
victims of the policy of a big power like America.  Lately, the mass 
media bring us sufficient information on the escalation of severe 
terrorist acts in Iraq unlike previous ones.  Not only the soldiers 
of the coalition die in those bomb-blasting but hundreds of citizens 
as well.  Soon it will be three years since Mongolia started sending 
its troops to Iraq.  Since then, Mongolia has sent seven troop 
rotations or 1000 soldiers.  Our soldiers are performing their 
duties quite well.  They stopped the attack of a suicide killer with 
a truck loaded with almost 70 kg of explosives.  If the truck had 
exploded within the Charlie Base, it would have certainly caused the 
death of several hundreds of soldiers and reduced the base to dust. 
We cannot deny the importance of the participation of our soldiers 
in the peace-keeping activities.  It would not be an exaggeration to 
say that the over 200 million US Dollars that we were so keen to 
obtain from the Millennium Challenge Corporation is the money we are 
going to get thanks to those ordinary soldiers.  Without them, just 
by considering the corruption and the abuse of one's official 
positions in our country, not a cent would have been given to us by 
the Americans.  We should never forget that Mongolia gets this money 
from the MCC thanks to our soldiers, peacekeepers in Iraq. 
 
Our troops, working under the command of the Polish division were 
moved from Al Hilla to El Divani.  This city is under the control of 
Al Sadra Maht army since long before.  The American troops come 
regularly to El Divani to clean it from the terrorists, and the 
latter, well-informed, leave the city temporarily during the 
operations of the Americans.  When the American soldiers leave the 
city, the terrorists come back to the city and renew their attacks 
against the base.  The entire Muslim world is supporting them. 
There is news that Iran has sent over 50 sharpshooters to El Divani. 
 The terrorists use rockets against the base.  In these attacks a 
number of people died and logistical supply base equipment was 
destroyed.  In recent days the armed groups started shooting at the 
airport with the rockets.  A member of the Military Headquarters 
said that it might be a tactic to cut off the Polish Division in El 
Divani from its outside support.  According to him, the attacks in 
the city are escalating.  If 30 percent of terrorists' rockets 
landed on the territory of the base before, now from 70 to 80 
percent of them reach their targets.  Since the Mongolian troops did 
all they could and there is nothing else they can do, isn't it time 
to withdraw them from Iraq?  The Americans started the war, let them 
end it.  We have helped them sufficiently.  Don't you see that even 
more powerful countries pull their troops out of Iraq?  As we say, 
"a crow wishing to be a goose got its legs frozen."  Are we able to 
rub shoulders with the Americans?  At the request of President G. 
Bush, our President extended the duration of stay for the 7th 
rotation till next month.  If anything disastrous happens to our 
soldiers, who will take the responsibility?  Shall we call the 
leaders of the Maht Army to court?  For a rich country, there is no 
problem.  They will provide the families of killed soldiers and the 
war invalids with life-long support.  Will Mongolia be able to do 
so?  Those military people are all the family bread-winners.  If the 
head of the family gets killed, who will feed his kids and wife? 
 
Supposedly soon, the National Security Council is going to discuss 
the dispatch of the 8th rotation of soldiers to Iraq.  They started 
preparing 130 men for the mission, and after the selection through 
exams, a hundred men proven worthy to go will leave for Iraq. 
According to the information, our authorities plan to send the 
troops of the 8th rotation to Iraq.  As some sources claim, Ts. 
Nyamdorj, ex-Speaker of Parliament, was against sending the troops 
on the 8th rotation to Iraq.  What will be the position of the new 
Speaker?  Mr. President, please don't send our soldiers to Iraq! 
Our troops have been working there for long enough.  We have helped 
the Americans.  Isn't it enough?  The situation in Iraq is getting 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000367  003 OF 003 
 
 
more and more complicated. Do we have enough men to lose them in a 
war started by a big power?  Behind every military man's life there 
are lives of many other people who depend on him.  Should a 
Mongolian soldier die for the benefit of America? 
END TEXT. 
 
MINTON