MEDIA REACTION: IRAQI GOVERNMENT, CONSTITUTION,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003934

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: IRAQI GOVERNMENT, CONSTITUTION,
TERRORISM; BAGHDAD

SUMMARY: Discussion on the Constitution and Terrorism were
the major editorial themes of the daily newspapers on
September 22, 2005. END SUMMARY.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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A. "Fire Beneath the Ashes" (Ad-Dawa, 9/22)

B. "They Have Oil and You Have Water" (Al-Mashriq, 9/22)

C. "The Constitution and Iraqi Personal Freedom" (Az-Zaman,
9/22)

SELECTED COMENTRES
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A. "Fire Beneath the Ashes"
(Ad-Dawa, affiliated with Islamic Ad-Dawa Party, published
this page-four editorial by Nuha Al-Musawi)

"We want to know where our country is heading. Violence is
increasing and rivers of blood are flowing in Iraq--starting
from the Al-Kadumiya Bridge (that led to hundreds of
casualties) to the terrorist attacks in Al-Aruba Square,
Taji, and other cities. All of those attacks were intended
to kill Shiites. It seems that Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi has
imbued terrorism with sectarian bent when he declared war on
Shiites.
"Terrorism started in Iraq with the killing of Shiites
immediately after the downfall of Saddam. Those operations
began with the assassination of Muhammad Baqr Al-Hakim and
hundreds of others praying inside the Imam Ali Shrine in
Najaf. After that, many terrorist attacks followed such as
Al-Kadumiya Bridge that led to the killing of hundreds of
Shiites. Another attack targeted Shiite laborers in Al-Aruba
Square in Kadumiya and yet another targeted a Shiite mosque
in Tuz in the northern part of Iraq. This shows definitively
that Shiites are being killed solely because they are
Shiite.
"Sectarian conflict has been unleashed and reasoned calls
cannot stop it. Iraq has become a minefield. Unfortunately,
the [Sunni] Muslim Scholars Association has issued
statements describing Al-Zarqawi as a brother though it
called on him to stop threatening Shiites. In fact, their
description of Zarqawi as a brother has many interpretations
and could mean that they support him.
"I think we have to convene a national reconciliation
conference between Sunnis and Shiites--a conference that
must be based on mutual respect. Terrorist operations have
increased and the ghost of secession is haunting Iraq. We
want to know if Washington has an interest in provoking
sectarian violence and we would also like to know if the
Americans have a role in encouraging this sedition.
"Most Iraqis were optimistic in the beginning however, this
optimism has started to fade into pessimism which may lead
to a mere mirage of freedom and democracy. We know one
important fact: one match stick can burn an entire forest."


B. "They Have Oil and You Have Water"
(Al-Mashriq, independent, anti coalition, published this
front-page editorial by Hamid Abdullah)
"The new Iraqi constitution has caused some Sunni Arabs, as
some provocative media outlets call them, to threaten to
stop the flow of water to any region that supports
federalism or separation from the rest of Iraq. Sunnis are
trying to use the Euphrates as a weapon against other groups
that call for the establishment of federalism. It now seems
that we have a new program that can be called oil for water
rather than oil for food. But, this time, the program is not
a deal between the United Nations and Iraq but it is between
the Shiites and Sunnis.
"An American analyst has labeled Iraqi Sunnis `the poor
cousins' because their land lacks resources and is situated
between two wealthy regions. The first is in the north,
which depends on the oil of Kirkuk, and the second is in the
south which depends on oil from the Rumaila oil fields.
While the Sunni heartland of Ramadi, Baghdad, Al-Qa'im, Ana
and Haditha has nothing but wide swaths of desert and
waterwheels. But, this territory is the gateway to Iraq's
rivers and thus can prevent water from flowing to any other
areas. I think that this weapon is very effective.
"I just want to know if there is any country like Iraq that
has two rivers, dozens of lakes, oil, phosphorus, red
mercury, copper, sulfur, mountains, plains, deserts, date
palms, pine trees, Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, Turkmen, Sabeans
and Yazidis? But, do not ask me where the Arabs are because
they have been diluted amongst various religions and sects
and thus there is no need to mention them. A country like
Iraq, which has a diversity of ethnicities and religions, is
inherently unstable because it is contrary to the interests
of the political players."


C. "The Constitution and Iraqi Personal Freedom"
(Az-Zaman, independent, anti-coalition, published this page-
seven editorial by Sundus Abbas)

"All Iraqis, especially women, were eager to see the draft
constitution as they thought it would help achieve national
unity. Actually, Iraqi women have worked hard since the
beginning of the establishment of democracy in the new Iraq
to guarantee their full rights in the draft constitution. We
haven't found anything in the draft constitution that
contradicts the contents of the personal status law (Law
#188 which was legislated in 1959).
"But, the most important thing is that the constitutional
committee keeps insisting on inserting the following text in
Article 39: `Iraqis are free in abiding by their personal
status according to their religions, ideologies, choices, or
beliefs.' The same statement was repeated in Article 14 of
the constitution which stated Iraqis are equal in front of
the law without discrimination due to sect, ethnicity,
opinion or socio-economic status. This looks like we have
invented something strange and new in Iraqi society which is
characterized by the depth of its civilization, or the
development and harmony of its communities.
"Article 39 is not relevant only to women but it addresses
the unity of the entire society. How can we anticipate the
orientations of all of the different appeals and legislative
courts? Is there any need to enact a civil law for personal
affairs while there are legislative courts present? Amid the
current deterioration of security and economic conditions,
can we expect these courts to be successful? Perhaps, this
article seems to be a good example of freedom but, such
freedom is hindered and cannot be achieved in our
environment.
"We think that this text represents an attempt to cancel the
achievements of Law #188, enacted in 1959 which Iraqi women
obtained through a half-century long suffrage. Iraqi women
opposed Law #137 in 2003, which was legislated by the former
Interim Governing Council, and included the essential
components of Article 39. However, this law was suspended
due to opposition from Iraqi women. For that reason, the CPA
administrator decided to annul the law."

KHALILZAD