UNCLAS BAGHDAD 002403

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: IRAQ CONSTITUTION TERRORISM;
BAGHDAD


1. SUMMARY: The major themes in the daily newspapers on
June 6 were the development of the political and security
situations. END SUMMARY.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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A. "The constitution and the final date" (Ad-Dustoor, June
6)

B. "New page and an honest line" (Al-Adala, June 6)

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SELECTED COMMENTARIES
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A. "The constitution and the final date" (June 6)

Ad-Dustoor (independent) published a front-page editorial
by Bassem Al-Sheikh about the upcoming constitution:

"Day by day we are approaching the deadline for completing
the first draft of the constitution-August 15. The
Transitional Administrative law (TAL) determined that date
and all the political groups that participated in the
process ratified it. The Constitutional committee wants to
convince the representatives of Sunni groups to participate
in the drafting process so that nobody can refute the
document's validity. We must ensue that all Iraqi sects
are represented in the constitutional committee.

Some groups have begun to demand that the constitutional
committee be given more time. This is to ensure that all
Iraqi sects are represented. These groups call for
postponement because they claim that it will ensure a wider
representation in the constitutional committee.

We are going through an important and sensitive stage in
our country's development. We must have a wise vision. We
must be thoughtful and practice self-denial because we are
drafting the future for upcoming Iraqi generations."


B. "New page and an honest line" (June 6)

Al-Adala (affiliated with SCIRI) published a fourth-page
editorial by Ali Khalif about terrorism in Iraq:

"The terrorist operations in Iraq are criminal and brutal.
We feel surprised when some groups try to call these
operations the actions of a resistance. These groups claim
that they are resistance fighters. They accuse the groups
that disagree with them of distorting their honorable
resistance. If these groups are so honorable, why don't
they appear in public and explain their actions to the
Iraqi people? The truth is that what happens in Iraq is
terrorism and those who perpetrate these operations are
terrorists. There are attempts in Iraq to call this
terrorism a national resistance.

These groups contradict themselves because they say that
attacking a U.S. military convoy is a patriotic deed.
However, if they deliberately target civilians, they tell
everybody that they didn't do it. There is an important
truth that everybody must realize. What happens in Iraq is
terrorism and it is against the political process. These
terrorists don't want Iraq to move into the future. There
are patriotic people who wanted to participate in the
political process and vote in the elections but they could
not because terrorist groups threatened them. Hence, every
Iraqi must call for unity. There is no way to move
backwards because Iraq has opened a new page and everybody
must draw an honest line in that page in order to build our
new Iraq."


SATTERFIELD