DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - September 21, 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 003906

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 - September 21, 2005

SUMMARY: Discussion on Sunni political representation,
terrorism, and American culpability were the major editorial
themes of Iraqi, Arabic language websites on September 21,

2005. END SUMMARY.

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


A. "The National Sunni Majority Is Marginalized; Saleh Al-
Mutlag Represents the Ba'ath Party" (Al-Rafidain, 9/21)

B. "Who Is Behind Terror in Iraq?" (Summereon, 9/21)

C. "When Will the American Mind Think in the Iraqi Style?"
(Al-Nahrain, 9/21)
--------------
SELECTED COMMENTARIES



A. "The National Sunni Majority Is Marginalized; Saleh Al-
Mutlag Represents the Ba'ath Party"
(Editorial by Hamed Al-Hamadani-Ar-
Rafidain-http://www.alrafidayn.com/index.html )

"As Iraq passes through these difficult times, we notice the
absence of the Sunni majority from the Iraqi political
scene. Terrorist groups forced them to boycott the January
30th election and they lost their right to participate.
Saleh Al-Mutlag and a few of his relatives were selected to
represent the majority of Sunnis in the permanent
constitutional committee. We have the right to ask the
following questions:

How were Saleh Al-Mutlag and his friends selected to
represent the Sunnis?
On what basis were they selected?
Who is responsible for the decision?
What is the negative impact on Sunnis that has resulted
from this choice?

"We have to find answers to reveal the true reason for this
his
choice and who stood behind it. Saleh Al-Mutlag represents
the toppled Ba'ath party's opinions and reflects its ideas;
he declared his attitude publicly when he defended his
Ba'athist comrades and called for annulling the draft
constitution's article on deba'athification.

"It seems that the American embassy in Baghdad selected Al-
Mutlag and his group to balance the Shiite political faction
that now controls the government, and the Ba'athists who
claim to be secular. I think the U.S. did this to prevent
the establishment of a religious and sectarian Shiite
government in Iraq. But we are curious as to why the U.S.
was unable to find genuine, national, patriotic, and
faithful Sunni members to represent the Sunnis in the
political process. Is the U.S. not serious about
establishing a democratic government in our country? Does it
want to create an Iraqi government that implements the
American planned agenda in the entire Middle East?

"This is dangerous for Iraq's future and dangerous for
democracy in our country because Ba'athists do not believe
in democracy; they want to make use of democracy to practice
dictatorship. The Sunnis and all other Iraqi sects have
rejected Saleh Al-Mutlag because he is not representative of
the Sunnis. Choosing Al-Mutlag to represent the Sunnis is a
big mistake because it has created sectarian hatred between
the Shiites and the Sunnis, hatred that will destroy our
efforts to build a democratic and free Iraq."


B. "Who Is Behind Terror in Iraq?"
(Editorial by Ala'a Al-Rifaei - Summereon -
http://www.summereon.net/583.html)

"The Iraqi arena has witnessed a lot of terror, murder, and
explosions since the fall of the Ba'athist regime. The
increase in the number of operations and subsequent increase
in the number of victims has become a key roadblock in
establishing the new Iraq state. Who is behind these
terrorist attacks?

"I think there are a lot of parties inside and outside of
Iraq that are directly and indirectly involved in the
current Iraqi situation. One of these terrorists is [Abu
Musab] Al-Zarqawi, who took the reigns from the
Ba'athists/Aflaqist trend, or we can say that the remaining
Ba'athists enlisted in Islamic groups that, in the end, are
all part of the Al-Qaeda organization.

"There are terrorist groups composed of those who benefited
under the former regime. They hide under religion but do not
have any links to Al-Qaeda. These groups maintain strong
links with the irresponsible media, who label their actions
with different names such as `Jihad' and `honest
resistance'; these misleading media outlets, such as Al-
Jazeera, Al-Sharqiya, and dishonest writers, recruit young
men from outside of Iraq.

"Additionally, some neighboring countries disguise their
acts behind their official statements claiming they are
fighting terror, but we know some of these countries
maintain terrorist training camps.

"Another cause of these terrorist attacks is the American
administration and its regional policy. The U.S. dissolved
the Iraqi army and opened the borders so that terrorists
groups could make Iraq a multi-national war zone.

"Then there are domestic conditions that contribute to
terror, such as unemployment and administrative corruption,
which entice young men to execute terror attacks for
financial profit. Most of these people have college degrees
and qualifications, but they are unable to pay a bribe for
employment, and sometimes they have specific allegiances to
one party or another. Wouldn't it have been better for the
government if these people were watching the borders instead
of spending large amounts of money on corrupt projects?

"The government should select a well qualified, reputed and
non-sectarian party to share power and assign them to
sensitive government posts so the future government will not
be accused of corruption as the current one is.

"These are some of the problems. Maybe we will have another
discussion if the government finds solutions."


C. "When Will the American Mind Think in the Iraqi Style?"
(Editorial by Wesam Al-Said Taher - Al-Nahrain -
http://www.nahrainnet.net/news/51/ARTICLE/463 9/2005-09-
21.html )

"Anyone who follows the American mindset will discover that
Iraq is still an unknown and incomprehensible world for him.
If we take what the American media writes, it indicates that
the elite journalists are primarily concerned with politics.
At least they know that most Americans are ignorant about
Iraq's location on the globe, and that they don't know who
the rat is, Saddam or Iraq. We notice they form an image of
Iraq similar to a crossword puzzle. They fill in these
puzzles in every stage with temporary words, only to be
erased and filled in with new terms after conditions change.

"If Arabs say: `He who lives with a certain group for forty
days will become one of them,' then Americans either do not
want to understand the reality (and this is the stronger
possibility) or they have a proverb that states the period
is forty years-not forty days!

"Although they are in Iraq, they still believe what their
leaders in Washington provide; their viewpoints are imported
and, in most cases, old-fashioned and nave.

"They deal with everyone present as a representative or
leader without researching the capability of his leadership.
A simple example is the confusion you sense in the American
media when they deal with an Iraqi issue. Many of the
articles consist of contradictory parts, giving the
impression that the writer is conflicted between the
information he has and the reality of the situation.

"And they are dealing with some leaders who have kidnapped
the voice of `Sunni Arabs,' demonstrating their ignorance of
Iraqi realities. Their luck is represented by their ability
to access American factions and not share authority with
others.

"They use whatever they want to gain concessions; it is a
sign that they lack the hope to pressure those who steal
their voices in order to vote against the constitution.

Will the Americans learn the lesson .."

SATTERFIELD