A CONFERENCE OF SUNNI ARABS THAT SUPPORTS THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 004003

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: A CONFERENCE OF SUNNI ARABS THAT SUPPORTS THE
DRAFT CONSTITUTION

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


1. (C) Summary. A Sunni Arab tribal shaykh convened with
help from President Talabani a September 23 conference at
which the Sunni Arab political figures in attendance urged
acceptance of the draft constitution and condemnation of
terrorism. The conference was attended by 200 mostly Sunni
leaders and NGO representatives, as well as by POL FSN.
Former General/Iraqi National Salvation Movement leader
Wafiq Al-Sameraee called on the participants to vote in the
referendum noting that changes to the Constitution could be
sought at a later date. The conference didn't get the
biggest names among the Sunni Arab political leadership and
President Talabani had a hand in putting it together.
Nonetheless, the conference was notable because it showed
there is not unanimity of opinion on the draft constitution
within the Sunni Arab community. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Fasal Al-Gaoud, a Sunni tribal shaykh, former
Allawi-appointed Governor of Anbar and Secretary General of
the newly formed Iraqi Solidarity Council (ISC) organized a
conference, held in Baghdad on September 23, to discuss
the draft Iraqi Constitution. Under the theme of Iraqi
unity in the new political and constitutional process,
the four-hour conference, attended by POL FSN, attracted
about 200 participants. Roughly 30 tribal leaders and
shaykhs from Anbar and southern Iraq, fifteen mostly Sunni
political leaders, and a large contingent of women's
groups and other NGO representatives were in attendance.


3. (SBU) Gaoud said that the ISC would urge massive
participation in upcoming elections. He further spoke of
the need for non-sectarian unity in Iraq, condemned terrorist
leaders including Zarkawi and announced that his party
followers will participate in and vote for the draft
Constitution.


4. (SBU) Former Major General Wafiq Al-Sameraee,
representing President Talibani, said though a Sunni Arab,
he respected the views of the majority. He did not call
for either a "yes" or "no" vote on the constitution, but
pointed out that the text could be amended at a later
date. Pointing to the measured response to the Al-A'ima
bridge incident in which up to 1000 Shia died in a
stampede, he predicted that Iraqi would not have a civil
war.


5. (SBU) Mithal Al-Alusi of the small Al-Uma party praised
the draft constitution and spoke sarcastically of
criticism from neighboring Arab countries of it. He asked
them to compare the Iraqi draft text to their own
constitutions, commenting that both Arab League Secretary
General Mousa and the Saudi Foreign Minster were afraid of
the Iraq constitution. He added that only 22 percent of
Egyptians voted in the Presidential election whereas 58%
of Iraqis voted for the Transitional National Assembly.
Al-Alusi said Arab countries feared the political process
in Iraq because they knew it could signal an end to their
corrupt regimes. He condemned Zarkawi and all those who
harbor him as criminals.


6. (SBU) Mubdir al-Weis, Secretary General of the Al-Whida
(Unity) party called for a timetable for withdrawal of
Coalition Forces in Iraq, saying that free elections should
be held without occupation forces. He said that the
elections could not be free without direct supervision by
the UN, Islamic Organization and other independent
international organizations.


7. (C) Comment: An aide to President Talabani, and Major
General Sameraee himself told us that Talabani had helped
finance the conference by paying the expenses of the
participants. Those who attended were not prominent Sunni
Arab political leaders. Gaoud quickly lost his governor's
chair when the new Anbar Provincial Council chose a new
governor in February. Mithal al-Alusi has a small
following, but he is far more liberal than most in the
Sunni Arab community. (His trip to Israel in 2004 caused
a major stir.) While not representing the major Sunni
political groupings, this conference was noteworthy for
the number of Sunni politicians calling publicly for a
"yes" vote on the draft Constitution. Pol FSN saw
participants actively engaged in the debate, which
touched on all the points important to us - the need to
participate in the political process and a strong
condemnation of Zarkawi's terrorism. End Comment.
Khalilzad