Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05BAGHDAD3948
2005-09-24 12:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:  

DISSENSION WITHIN SUNNI ARAB HARD-LINE RANKS

Tags:  PGOV PHUM KDEM IZ 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003948 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2015
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: DISSENSION WITHIN SUNNI ARAB HARD-LINE RANKS

Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Ford for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003948

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2015
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: DISSENSION WITHIN SUNNI ARAB HARD-LINE RANKS

Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Ford for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Sunni Arab Sa'adoon al-Zubaidi, a member of the
hard-line, Sunni Arab-dominated Iraqi Council of National
Dialogue (ICND) told PolOff September 22 that in the last
several days there has been no effort by Sunni Arab
representatives to propose specific changes to Kurdish or
Shia leaders that would enable the Sunni Arabs to support
the draft constitution. Zubaidi said that there has been
some debate within the ICND about possibly supporting the
constitution. However, he said the majority of the
membership currently advocates voting "no" in the October
15 referendum.


2. (C) Zubaidi charged that ICND spokesman Saleh Mutlak
has undermined Dialogue group in a self-serving effort to
enhance his image on the Sunni Arab street. In particular,
Zubaidi said Mutlak had discredited the ICND with the
announcement that he would gather 5 million signatures on
petitions against the constitution. Zubaidi said the real
purpose of the effort was to register individuals as
members of Mutlak's proposed "National Front". Mutlak
expects widespread forgery in the referendum vote, and he
wants to use his signatures to reflect what he thinks is
the real number of "no" votes. Zubaidi added that he fully
expects Mutlak himself to forge signatures on his
petitions.


3. (C) Poloff said that it was important that internal
competition within the Sunni Arab parties not impede
engagement in the political process. He said that passage
of the new constitution would be in the interests of all
Iraqis.


4. (C) Comment: While Mutlak is gathering signatures,
there are signs elsewhere that members of the Dialog
Council still hope to tweak the draft constitution text
such that they can support it. Overall, our sense is that
the Dialog Council, and Sunni Arab ranks broadly, are
unsure of the way forward. That indecision and internal
dissension gives us a short-lived opening to try again to
secure Kurd-Shia agreement to amend the text slightly in a
couple areas in return for wider Sunni Arab support the
draft constitution publicly.
Khalilzad