Cablegate: Daily Iraqi Website Monitoring - October 12, 2005

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 004209

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 - October 12, 2005

SUMMARY: Discussions of the constitution and the merits of
voting `yes' or `no' were the major editorial themes of
Iraqi, Arabic language websites on October 12, 2005. END
SUMMARY.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
-------------------------------

A. "Approving the Constitution Won't Solve Iraqi Crisis"
(Iraq 4 All News, 10/12)
B. "Send a Blow to Terrorism and Its Supporters with a `Yes'
Vote" (Watan 4 All, 10/12)
C. "Voting for the Constitution Is a Means to Achieving
Independence" (Al-Rafidayn, 10/12)

SELECTED COMMENTARIES
----------------------------------------

A. "Approving the Constitution Won't Solve Iraqi Crisis"
(From Al-Watan, Saudi Newspaper, posted on Iraq 4 All News -
http://iraq4all.org/viewnews.php?id=10312 )

"Statements from senior White House officials over the last
few days urge Iraqis to approve the constitution,
considering it a guarantee for their democratic future.
These statements are coordinated with warnings from Iraqi
leaders that rejecting the constitution will lead to chaos
and the destruction of Iraq's future. The U.S. and Iraqi
statements serve a joint purpose: the U.S. is waiting for
its opportunity to pull out from the Iraqi swamp, and it
realizes this opportunity will not come until the Iraqi
constitution is approved and Iraqi forces are prepared to
take over security responsibility; the Iraqi side hopes that
approving the draft will remove the threat of civil
war...and division.

"But the question remains: If Iraqis were to fulfill the
U.S. administration's desire and approve the draft
constitution, would it be a sufficient step towards
achieving political stability and security? The fact is that
the current reality refutes this theory; a large section of
Iraqis, which is Sunni, is dissatisfied with the
constitution and has announced intentions to reject it,
meaning that this constitution, if approved, will be limited
because it will fail to represent the unity and national
reconciliation that are desired.

"Approving the constitution is one of the steps required to
resolve the complicated problems in Iraq. Approving the
draft is not the magic wand that would solve everything.
Iraq first needs a set of procedures to provide security,
overcome the rift between opposing parties, achieve
reconciliation, and combat unemployment. These steps are
essential. An attempt to achieve peace by relying on the
hope that the constitution will be approved is nothing more
than a dream."

B. "Send a Blow to Terrorism and Its Supporters with a `Yes'
Vote"
(Editorial by Widad Fakher - Watan 4 All - "Home 4 All" -
http://wattan4all.com/viewarticle.php?id=5777 &pg=articles )

"Terrorism, along with terrorists and those who support them
in and outside of Iraq, will receive a strong blow next
Saturday, October 15th, when we all vote `yes' to the
Federal Republic of Iraq. This vote will be an expression of
faith in all the martyrs who were victimized by the party of
fascists and murderers who arrived on the soil of
Mesopotamia, and it will be a blow to those who fake their
Islamic religion without reflecting on the justice and
tolerance of true Islam.

"When Iraqis stand courageously at the ballot boxes, a smile
will be drawn over the faces of the victims of Halabja, the
southern marshes, and all other Iraqi patriots who fell
under the injustice of a string of dictatorships starting on
February 8, 1963.

"Those refusing to vote in favor of the constitution are
still hoping to restore the centralized dictatorship that
manipulates the political scene and deprives people of their
right to decide their economic and political affairs. Next
Saturday will represent a new opening for a free and federal
Iraq that refuses to entertain arbitrary and unjustified
republican decrees or the behavior of some politicians. Only
the new democratic Iraq will be present."
C. "Voting for the Constitution Is a Means to Achieving
Independence"
(Editorial by Mohammed Aissa - Al-Rafidayn -
http://www.alrafidayn.com/Story/News/N12_10_7 .html )

"Sovereignty and independence for Iraq will not be achieved
in the near future. In order to reach these goals we must
pass several stages, including writing the fundamental law
that will govern the country. This must be voted upon, and
then elections must be held to establish a stable government
that enjoys the authorities to do its duty and achieve
sovereignty and independence.

"There is no doubt that the constitution the Iraqis wrote
does not meet the aspirations of all spectrums of Iraqi
people. But there also is no doubt that it is a thousand
times better than the TAL, according to which the Iraqi
state is run now. At least those who wrote the constitution
are representatives of the Iraqi people, unlike [those who
wrote] the TAL, which is still called `Bremer Law.' Voting
`yes' means Iraq completes the Bremer phase-with all its
disadvantages for Iraqis. It means entering a phase with a
constitution written by Iraqi hands; parliamentarians will
say what they want to the MNF, their presence, and the
method of their deployment. But voting `no' will bring us
back to the Bremer phase and we might not get out of it.
Things might get worse and Iraq could be turned into a long-
term project that could last ten to twenty years or more. In
that case, MNF will have complete power and those who cried
for rejection will achieve the opposite of what they claim.

"These are not speculations; whoever wants to view the
possibilities of rejection will see this result, which could
be even worse, God forbid. Rejection means Iraq will enter
unnecessary mazes, especially now that it is an open land
for terrorist operations, which harm Iraqi people in
general, and Shiites and Kurds in particular.

"Whoever says that federalism will divide Iraq will see that
in reality, if the constitution is rejected, there will be
an independent Kurdish state, Turkmen state, Christian
state, Shiite state, Sunni state, etc. The points of
disagreement were modified and what remains is not worth
disagreeing upon.

"Next Saturday is the day when the people say either `yes,'
which is considered a step toward freedom and independence,
or `no,' which is a step backward. [With a `no' vote] we
would be much farther from our goal of achieving
independence and freedom for our people, who suffer so much
and whose wounds are still bleeding."

KHALILZAD

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