UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002398

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 BAGHDAD
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ RESISTANCE GOVERNMENT
POLITICAL PROGRAM; BAGHDAD


1. SUMMARY: The major themes in the daily newspapers on
June 5 were the developments of the security and political
situations. END SUMMARY.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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A. "Resistance by animals and water melon" (Asharq Al-
Awsat, 6/5)

B. "Citizens and the political program" (Al-Bayyan, 6/5)

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SELECTED COMMENTARIES
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A. "Resistance by animals and water melon" (June 5)

Asharq Al-Awsat (independent, London-based, has wide
circulation in Iraq) published a tenth-page editorial by
Adnan Hussein about the recent militants' military styles
in Iraq:

"Poisoning a watermelon to kill Iraqi soldiers at
checkpoints is not resistance-it's murder. Booby-trapping a
dog or a donkey with explosives does not represent honest
principles. However, these actions are what characterize
the current Iraqi resistance. The most famous resistance
movements in modern history include the Soviet resistance
against the Nazis, the Vietnamese resistance against the
American invasion, the Kurdish resistance in Iraq and the
Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation.

Although fundamentalists and extremists have distorted the
Palestinian resistance, the Soviets did not behead Nazis
and the Vietnamese resistance did not kidnap journalists
and employees of international organizations. The
Palestinian resistance, before extremists took over the
movement, did not booby-trap cars or animals. Every Iraqi
knows that the Kurdish resistance was a great example of a
patriotic resistance. It did not conduct sabotage or hurt
citizens. It treated its military prisoners nobly.

Making donkeys and dogs carry rockets in order to be
detonated is a strong sign that the Iraqi resistance is
finding it difficult to recruit new members. Poisoning
watermelons indicates that the Iraqi resistance suffers
from a lack of supplies. This also shows that its leaders
are brutal criminals. According to the latest statistics,
in the last month the Iraqi resistance killed 672 Iraqis
and wounded 1,174. Most of their victims were women,
children and the elderly.

Sheikh Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi has issued a historic Fatwa
calling for murder of all these people under the pretext of
the enemy's shields. Saddam's followers did not bother
themselves to find a nationalistic or patriotic
justification to shed Iraqi blood. They believe that
Saddam's Qadissiya will continue to hurt the Iraqi people
so that Iraq will be a land without inhabitants. Saddam
first announced that belief to reporters 25 years ago.

The resistance of booby-trapped animals and poisonous
watermelons has supporters. These are the partners of
those who booby-trap cars and call for the killing and
beheading of Iraqis just because they are Iraqis."



B. "Citizens and the political program" (June 5)

Al-Bayyan (affiliated with Islamic Dawa Party led by
Ibrahim Al-Jafari) published a front-page editorial about
the government's announced political program:

"The Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jafari announced the
transitional government's political program in front of the
National Assembly. This program addresses the needs and
dreams of the Iraqi people. It also compliments the
accomplishments of Allawi's government. The program
discusses the security and political situations, in
addition to the need for municipal services.

The government took a while to announce its political
program. This program did not restrict itself to
determining the goals for the transitional period but it
included solutions for current problems. It was willing
to work toward solutions to these problems despite the fact
that the transitional government will only be in office a
short time.
The most important reason for applying the government's
program is the call for the full cooperation between the
Iraqi people and ministries, associations, and all
government offices. There must be full cooperation between
all the national political parties and the government in
order to support the political process. This will benefit
all the Iraqi people. The success of the transitional
government will reflect the success of the whole political
process. If we get through the political process, we will
be able to secure the country and stabilize it politically
and economically. Without this stability, we will not be
able to start reconstruction. On the other hand, to
accomplish this program we need the Iraqi people to support
it so that it will achieve their goals."


SATTERFIELD