Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05BAGHDAD4199
2005-10-11 18:00:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:
MEDIA REACTION: IRAQI GOVERNMENT, CONSTITUTION,
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BAGHDAD 004199
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,
REFERENDUM, NATIONAL RECONCILIATION, ARAB LEAGUE; BAGHDAD
SUMMARY: Discussion on the Constitution, Referendum,
National Reconciliation, and the Arab League were the major
editorial themes of the daily newspapers on October 11,
2005. END SUMMARY.
--------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
--------------
A. "Objections to the Constitution Confirm the Contrary"
(Asharq Al-Awsat, 10/11)
B. "The Right" (Al-Sabah, 10/11)
C. "The Constitution Represents Security, Stability, and
Progress" (Al-Muatamar, 10/11)
D. "We Are Going to Implement Our Principles" (Al-Dawa,
10/11)
E. "The Referendum" (Al-Taakhi, 10/11)
F. "You'll Find them Fond of Conflict Rather Than
Reconciliation" (Al-Mashriq, 10/11)
G. "The Best Word" (Al-Adala, 10/11)
H. "No to the Boycott. No to the constitution" (Al-Fourat,
10/11)
--------------
SELECTED COMMENTARIES
--------------
A. "Objections to the Constitution Confirm the Contrary"
(Asharq Al-Awsat, independent, London-based pan-Arab, Saudi
owned, published this page-nine editorial by Abdul Rahman Al-
Rashed)
"In Iraq, emotions have divided the populace into two groups
on the eve of the referendum. The majority of people,
whether they vote for or against the constitution, do not
understand the details of the disagreement [over the
document]; there is no equitable discussion amongst
dissenting groups because each tries to accuse the other of
terrorism and extremism.
"The overwhelming Shiite majority supports the current
constitution as do the Kurds, while the Sunnis, some secular
Shiite groups and other small minority groups reject the
constitution. In spite of hysteria concerning the
constitution, disagreements have been reduced to a few
articles, thus the majority of the constitution is
acceptable. I think the UIA (United Iraqi Alliance) and the
current government insist on categorizing provinces
according to sectarianism and this idea frightens the
minority. We understand that the majority does not need to
group provinces to receive a larger share of the vote
because the majority is sure that it will win the vote,
whereas constitutional guarantees are necessary for all
individuals and minorities.
"Representatives of those who call themselves the
`opposition' continue arguing and they lack united
leadership. All results have indicated that the Sunnis have
not represented their minority by insisting on boycotting
the political process. I even think that their objections to
the constitution are illogical. They speak about Arabism and
insist that it be included in the constitution. It seems
that they do not know that there are 15 Arab countries that
have this word only in their internal laws [not in their
constitutions]. We know that only Saudi Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates, Egypt, Libya and Syria can be labeled Arab
countries and that it impossible to impose Arabic on other
minorities. The language of a majority cannot dominate the
constitution but it can be achieved through national
reconciliation.
"Moreover, it is very strange that the Sunnis rejected the
constitutional article that regards children of an Iraqi
mother as Iraqi. This indicates that they are bigots because
most countries' constitutions state that children enjoy
equal rights from both parents. Nevertheless, amid these
marginal objections to the Iraqi constitution, it seems that
it generally has fair and sound principles."
B. "The Right"
(Al-Sabah, independent, published this front-page editorial
by Muhammad Abdul Jabbar)
"If everything in our country worked in accordance with the
law, citizens, and in particular voters, would have the
right to complain about the delay in the distribution of the
draft constitution. Citizens have the right to know--this is
one of the main principles of democracy. However, I have not
found any mention of such rights in the constitution.
"Some officials say time is short and this caused an
inability to distribute the five million copies of the draft
constitution. Those officials say that they may be able to
distribute only three-and-a-half million copies but what
about the other one-and-a-half million copies? This failure
will result in 11 million voters being unable to see the
draft constitution--and they will have to vote without
knowing what the current constitution contains. Accordingly,
they will vote based on political, factional or religious
affiliations.
"Citizens have the right to complain but I do not know who
is to be blamed for this delay. I suspect it's the National
Assembly that is responsible for such a delay because it
hindered the constitutional committee's meetings which
delayed the draft constitution's completion, its printing
and distribution. The political process is moving forward
according to its timetable but, it is very important that
citizens know their rights and they must have the right to
complain if these rights are not respected."
C. "The Constitution Represents Security, Stability, and
Progress"
(Al-Muatamar, affiliated with the Iraqi National Congress
led by Ahmad Al-Chalabi, published this page-fifteen
editorial by Muslim Al-Mi'mar)
"The Iraqi people have lived fearful lives during the period
of the deposed regime where freedom was confiscated. Today,
the enemies of the new Iraq are upset about our new
constitution that includes and guarantees rights for all
Iraqis. The referendum is approaching and the Iraqi people
will determine their future and we hope that they will vote
for the constitution.
"Drafting a constitution is a very important issue and it is
also a national accomplishment because it establishes a
democratic system for the political process in Iraq. At the
same time, all Iraqis must participate in political-decision
making in order to build new Iraq. The Iraqi people have
played a significant role in building the first democratic
experiment that led to the establishment of an elected
National Assembly and the drafting of the first legitimate
constitution for Iraq. It is a mistake to say that this
constitution was drafted by non Iraqis because all Iraqis
voluntarily celebrated in the streets on the occasion of the
announcement of the draft constitution.
"The Iraqi people believe that this constitution will
improve security and help achieve peace, stability and
advancement. We all know that the dictatorship's time is
over and now we must rebuild the new democratic Iraq. The
constitution is the only solution to unify our wounded
people. We must move forward to successfully progress with
the political process for the sake of our country's
interest. We have to give the Iraqi people a chance to hold
and attend constitutional forums and discussions if we want
them to give their opinions on the constitution. However, we
hope that the people will have the final say on referendum
day and say `Yes,' so that this word represents a scream
against every enemy. Let us all say `Yes' to the
constitution so that we can rebuild our country."
D. "We Are Going to Implement Our Principles"
(Al-Dawa, affiliated with Islamic Al-Dawa Party, led by Al-
Anzi, published this back-page editorial by Haitham Al-
Fraiji)
"When the barbarian attacks intensified in an attempt to
prevent the Iraqi people from voting and electing a national
government, Iraqis gravitated toward ballot boxes for the
sake of their country--tears of affection mingled with the
blood of martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the sake of
Iraq.
"Crimson-colored fingers were raised to bring an end to the
era of killers inside and outside of Iraq. Hands were lifted
happily, proclaiming this is the day of victory. The Iraqi
people were sure that their pink fingers would defeat all of
the terrorists and killers who commit crimes in the name of
religion.
"The Iraqi people have proved to the religious authority
that they are moving forward to implement the principles
they sacrificed for, they do not fear the knives of
deceitfulness and terrorism. Today, we need to remind our
people that they have a national and religious duty to
participate in the referendum. The constitution is a
guarantee for our souls and dignity for humans and for this
reason we have to go to ballot boxes to vote for the
constitution. We must say `Yes' to the constitution because
it represents our Iraqi identity and confirms our commitment
to our religion."
E. "The Referendum"
(Al-Taakhi, affiliated with the KDP led by Al-Barzani
published this page-three editorial by Dawoud Salman Al-
Ka'bi)
"Soon Iraqis will go to vote in a democratic march to say
`Yes' or `No' to the constitution. Each Iraqi has the
opportunity to cast his vote.his national duty obliges him
to exercise this responsibility.
"The Iraqi people have waited too long for this
constitution-the people's dream was to get a permanent
constitution as any other country has; they have lived under
a temporary constitution for the last four decades and
suffered from the dictator's regime. The time has finally
arrived and the Iraqi people were able to rid themselves of
that dictatorial regime which split them. On referendum day
Iraqis will challenge terrorists and Saddam's remnants,
those criminals who are supporting chaos, creating
instability, battling the democratic process and freedom
that Iraqis are working hard to implement throughout the
country.
"The constitution is the basis for building a new Iraq that
will be secure and stable, ruled by an elected
government-all a result of approving this constitution,
which is a group of regulations for the country equivalent
to the Bible that good people observe and don't neglect."
F. "You'll Find them Fond of Conflict Rather Than
Reconciliation"
(Al-Mashriq, independent, anti coalition published this
front-page editorial by Dr. Hameed Abdullah)
"Some Iraqi political groups dislike the idea of
reconciliation as if they would lose their rights if it
happens. They have explained their position by saying that
it is impossible to sit at the same table with executioners.
If we dwell on the notion of the executioner and the victim,
then we will encourage more bloodshed for a few of the
reasons that we all know and for many reasons that we don't
know.
"The Secretary General of the Arab League has sent his envoy
to Iraq, but this envoy was surprised when some Iraqis told
him that Iraq doesn't need any Arab mediation. As a result,
the envoy will return to the Arab League's Secretary General
and say, `Our Iraqi brothers are in harmony and agree with
each other, so there is no need for a national
reconciliation conference, and they don't need Arab forces
because Iraqis are no longer familiar with the Arabic
language due to the large number of foreigners in Iraq;'
therefore it will be difficult for these Arab forces to deal
with Iraqis.
It has become clear to the Arab League that there are
political groups in Iraq that are fond of wrestling and that
hate reconciliation, so they are in need of a referee not
mediation toward reconciliation and peace."
G. "The Best Word"
(Al-Adala, affiliated with SCIRI led by Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim,
published this page-three editorial by Dr. Ali Khalif)
"Iraqis will vote on the constitution this Saturday and they
are currently discussing its articles and details. Political
negotiations are underway among different political blocs in
an attempt to reach a final resolution to satisfy all sides.
So, with these political, official, and popular
negotiations, Iraqi citizens should realize the importance
of participating to express their wishes. When we encouraged
[i.e. in their editorials] participants to vote during the
referendum we did not make any endorsements or use our
influence to try to get the referendum approved, as some
groups have suggested, but a `Yes' vote will mean that we've
traversed a long distance along the road to success and are
moving forward with giant strides; we'll have one level
built in the construction of a new Iraq. In addition, voting
for the constitution will defeat a large segment of
terrorists and Saddamists while blocking those who aim to
move Iraq backwards and prevent it from achieving its dream.
"Iraqi citizens have many dreams and aim to achieve them
all. Actually they think about materialistic things more
than about moral issues, and so they demand services before
making demands about the constitution, and they have the
right to do that. Saddam's followers have used this issue,
and are still doing so, to drive a wedge in the political
process and turn the public against the government. In order
to achieve security, stability, and provide essential
services as soon as possible, we need to vote `Yes' to the
constitution-anything else will return Iraq to zero and
Iraqis will need to wait another year to reach the same
level while suffering from terrorism which doesn't
distinguish between men, women, children, or the elderly-the
political process will collapse in light of security
breakdowns. So the Iraqi people have to choose to vote for
or against the constitution but they need to think deeply
about their choice before voting and they need to recognize
the word that represents the future of Iraq-the other word
will only lead to more murder, sabotage, and chaos.
"There is no doubt that Iraqis will comprehend that the word
`Yes' will give them more benefits and will hasten progress,
but those who call on people to vote negatively wish to see
more innocent Iraqi blood spilled and aim to reinstate the
same equation of injustice that was consolidated under
previous decades.Voting should reflect realism and logic and
not be based on emotions or materialism."
H. "No to the Boycott. No to the constitution"
(Al-Fourat, independent, anti coalition, published this back-
page editorial by Dawoud Al-Farhan)
"Opposition groups such as the Muslim Scholars' Association,
the National Dialogue Council, the Iraqi Islamic Party, the
Arab Nationalist Party, and the People of Iraq Conference,
have gathered to grant their supporters freedom in
participating in the referendum (by voting `No' to the
constitution or boycotting the referendum process) on
October 15. Such a decision will lead us through another
dark tunnel similar to the one we passed through during the
last election on January 30. Much criticism of the draft
constitution has emanated from Muqtada Al-Sadr who objected
to articles on federalism and the division of Iraq. He
ultimately left the decision on how to vote up to his
supporters while the UIA (United Iraqi Alliance) and the
Kurdish parties encouraged their people to vote `Yes' to the
constitution to realize their ambitions.
"Those parties are trying to divide Iraq's land and wealth
according to ethnic power sharing and sectarianism and to
marginalize the centralized government for the benefit of
small entities, and to create small states inside one state
with no power or authority left to the centralized
government. Iraq's future is in danger, if the situation
during the upcoming referendum is similar to what happened
in January's elections.
"Hesitation in making correct decisions and lack of national
will to reject the `forged' draft constitution, through
intensive participation in referendum and to topple the
forged draft constitution the same way of their forged
democracy, may result in its passage. Intensive
participation to vote `No' will reject the draft
constitution and all fake slogans about democracy, freedom,
pluralism, and federalism established by certain dubious
politicians who are trying to gain benefit from the chaos
caused by the occupational forces.
"Opposition organizations and parties released the following
statement: `Individuals are free to decide their
participation in the coming referendum. This is the nation's
future and we should unanimously vote against the premature
constitution by saying `No" in the coming referendum.'
"The American administration wrote the draft constitution
and we all know that. Any news about meetings held in the
U.S. between President Bush and Barzani concerning disputed
articles, and rumors about amendments are not true. The
Iraqi government and all its parties and clerics are working
to gain approval for this constitution. National Iraqi
forces should unify their position and vote against the
constitution. Our people in Ninewah, Salahuddin, and Al-
Anbar (the heroes' provinces) must participate in the coming
referendum and vote against this crippled constitution."
KHALILZAD
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,
REFERENDUM, NATIONAL RECONCILIATION, ARAB LEAGUE; BAGHDAD
SUMMARY: Discussion on the Constitution, Referendum,
National Reconciliation, and the Arab League were the major
editorial themes of the daily newspapers on October 11,
2005. END SUMMARY.
--------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
--------------
A. "Objections to the Constitution Confirm the Contrary"
(Asharq Al-Awsat, 10/11)
B. "The Right" (Al-Sabah, 10/11)
C. "The Constitution Represents Security, Stability, and
Progress" (Al-Muatamar, 10/11)
D. "We Are Going to Implement Our Principles" (Al-Dawa,
10/11)
E. "The Referendum" (Al-Taakhi, 10/11)
F. "You'll Find them Fond of Conflict Rather Than
Reconciliation" (Al-Mashriq, 10/11)
G. "The Best Word" (Al-Adala, 10/11)
H. "No to the Boycott. No to the constitution" (Al-Fourat,
10/11)
--------------
SELECTED COMMENTARIES
--------------
A. "Objections to the Constitution Confirm the Contrary"
(Asharq Al-Awsat, independent, London-based pan-Arab, Saudi
owned, published this page-nine editorial by Abdul Rahman Al-
Rashed)
"In Iraq, emotions have divided the populace into two groups
on the eve of the referendum. The majority of people,
whether they vote for or against the constitution, do not
understand the details of the disagreement [over the
document]; there is no equitable discussion amongst
dissenting groups because each tries to accuse the other of
terrorism and extremism.
"The overwhelming Shiite majority supports the current
constitution as do the Kurds, while the Sunnis, some secular
Shiite groups and other small minority groups reject the
constitution. In spite of hysteria concerning the
constitution, disagreements have been reduced to a few
articles, thus the majority of the constitution is
acceptable. I think the UIA (United Iraqi Alliance) and the
current government insist on categorizing provinces
according to sectarianism and this idea frightens the
minority. We understand that the majority does not need to
group provinces to receive a larger share of the vote
because the majority is sure that it will win the vote,
whereas constitutional guarantees are necessary for all
individuals and minorities.
"Representatives of those who call themselves the
`opposition' continue arguing and they lack united
leadership. All results have indicated that the Sunnis have
not represented their minority by insisting on boycotting
the political process. I even think that their objections to
the constitution are illogical. They speak about Arabism and
insist that it be included in the constitution. It seems
that they do not know that there are 15 Arab countries that
have this word only in their internal laws [not in their
constitutions]. We know that only Saudi Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates, Egypt, Libya and Syria can be labeled Arab
countries and that it impossible to impose Arabic on other
minorities. The language of a majority cannot dominate the
constitution but it can be achieved through national
reconciliation.
"Moreover, it is very strange that the Sunnis rejected the
constitutional article that regards children of an Iraqi
mother as Iraqi. This indicates that they are bigots because
most countries' constitutions state that children enjoy
equal rights from both parents. Nevertheless, amid these
marginal objections to the Iraqi constitution, it seems that
it generally has fair and sound principles."
B. "The Right"
(Al-Sabah, independent, published this front-page editorial
by Muhammad Abdul Jabbar)
"If everything in our country worked in accordance with the
law, citizens, and in particular voters, would have the
right to complain about the delay in the distribution of the
draft constitution. Citizens have the right to know--this is
one of the main principles of democracy. However, I have not
found any mention of such rights in the constitution.
"Some officials say time is short and this caused an
inability to distribute the five million copies of the draft
constitution. Those officials say that they may be able to
distribute only three-and-a-half million copies but what
about the other one-and-a-half million copies? This failure
will result in 11 million voters being unable to see the
draft constitution--and they will have to vote without
knowing what the current constitution contains. Accordingly,
they will vote based on political, factional or religious
affiliations.
"Citizens have the right to complain but I do not know who
is to be blamed for this delay. I suspect it's the National
Assembly that is responsible for such a delay because it
hindered the constitutional committee's meetings which
delayed the draft constitution's completion, its printing
and distribution. The political process is moving forward
according to its timetable but, it is very important that
citizens know their rights and they must have the right to
complain if these rights are not respected."
C. "The Constitution Represents Security, Stability, and
Progress"
(Al-Muatamar, affiliated with the Iraqi National Congress
led by Ahmad Al-Chalabi, published this page-fifteen
editorial by Muslim Al-Mi'mar)
"The Iraqi people have lived fearful lives during the period
of the deposed regime where freedom was confiscated. Today,
the enemies of the new Iraq are upset about our new
constitution that includes and guarantees rights for all
Iraqis. The referendum is approaching and the Iraqi people
will determine their future and we hope that they will vote
for the constitution.
"Drafting a constitution is a very important issue and it is
also a national accomplishment because it establishes a
democratic system for the political process in Iraq. At the
same time, all Iraqis must participate in political-decision
making in order to build new Iraq. The Iraqi people have
played a significant role in building the first democratic
experiment that led to the establishment of an elected
National Assembly and the drafting of the first legitimate
constitution for Iraq. It is a mistake to say that this
constitution was drafted by non Iraqis because all Iraqis
voluntarily celebrated in the streets on the occasion of the
announcement of the draft constitution.
"The Iraqi people believe that this constitution will
improve security and help achieve peace, stability and
advancement. We all know that the dictatorship's time is
over and now we must rebuild the new democratic Iraq. The
constitution is the only solution to unify our wounded
people. We must move forward to successfully progress with
the political process for the sake of our country's
interest. We have to give the Iraqi people a chance to hold
and attend constitutional forums and discussions if we want
them to give their opinions on the constitution. However, we
hope that the people will have the final say on referendum
day and say `Yes,' so that this word represents a scream
against every enemy. Let us all say `Yes' to the
constitution so that we can rebuild our country."
D. "We Are Going to Implement Our Principles"
(Al-Dawa, affiliated with Islamic Al-Dawa Party, led by Al-
Anzi, published this back-page editorial by Haitham Al-
Fraiji)
"When the barbarian attacks intensified in an attempt to
prevent the Iraqi people from voting and electing a national
government, Iraqis gravitated toward ballot boxes for the
sake of their country--tears of affection mingled with the
blood of martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the sake of
Iraq.
"Crimson-colored fingers were raised to bring an end to the
era of killers inside and outside of Iraq. Hands were lifted
happily, proclaiming this is the day of victory. The Iraqi
people were sure that their pink fingers would defeat all of
the terrorists and killers who commit crimes in the name of
religion.
"The Iraqi people have proved to the religious authority
that they are moving forward to implement the principles
they sacrificed for, they do not fear the knives of
deceitfulness and terrorism. Today, we need to remind our
people that they have a national and religious duty to
participate in the referendum. The constitution is a
guarantee for our souls and dignity for humans and for this
reason we have to go to ballot boxes to vote for the
constitution. We must say `Yes' to the constitution because
it represents our Iraqi identity and confirms our commitment
to our religion."
E. "The Referendum"
(Al-Taakhi, affiliated with the KDP led by Al-Barzani
published this page-three editorial by Dawoud Salman Al-
Ka'bi)
"Soon Iraqis will go to vote in a democratic march to say
`Yes' or `No' to the constitution. Each Iraqi has the
opportunity to cast his vote.his national duty obliges him
to exercise this responsibility.
"The Iraqi people have waited too long for this
constitution-the people's dream was to get a permanent
constitution as any other country has; they have lived under
a temporary constitution for the last four decades and
suffered from the dictator's regime. The time has finally
arrived and the Iraqi people were able to rid themselves of
that dictatorial regime which split them. On referendum day
Iraqis will challenge terrorists and Saddam's remnants,
those criminals who are supporting chaos, creating
instability, battling the democratic process and freedom
that Iraqis are working hard to implement throughout the
country.
"The constitution is the basis for building a new Iraq that
will be secure and stable, ruled by an elected
government-all a result of approving this constitution,
which is a group of regulations for the country equivalent
to the Bible that good people observe and don't neglect."
F. "You'll Find them Fond of Conflict Rather Than
Reconciliation"
(Al-Mashriq, independent, anti coalition published this
front-page editorial by Dr. Hameed Abdullah)
"Some Iraqi political groups dislike the idea of
reconciliation as if they would lose their rights if it
happens. They have explained their position by saying that
it is impossible to sit at the same table with executioners.
If we dwell on the notion of the executioner and the victim,
then we will encourage more bloodshed for a few of the
reasons that we all know and for many reasons that we don't
know.
"The Secretary General of the Arab League has sent his envoy
to Iraq, but this envoy was surprised when some Iraqis told
him that Iraq doesn't need any Arab mediation. As a result,
the envoy will return to the Arab League's Secretary General
and say, `Our Iraqi brothers are in harmony and agree with
each other, so there is no need for a national
reconciliation conference, and they don't need Arab forces
because Iraqis are no longer familiar with the Arabic
language due to the large number of foreigners in Iraq;'
therefore it will be difficult for these Arab forces to deal
with Iraqis.
It has become clear to the Arab League that there are
political groups in Iraq that are fond of wrestling and that
hate reconciliation, so they are in need of a referee not
mediation toward reconciliation and peace."
G. "The Best Word"
(Al-Adala, affiliated with SCIRI led by Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim,
published this page-three editorial by Dr. Ali Khalif)
"Iraqis will vote on the constitution this Saturday and they
are currently discussing its articles and details. Political
negotiations are underway among different political blocs in
an attempt to reach a final resolution to satisfy all sides.
So, with these political, official, and popular
negotiations, Iraqi citizens should realize the importance
of participating to express their wishes. When we encouraged
[i.e. in their editorials] participants to vote during the
referendum we did not make any endorsements or use our
influence to try to get the referendum approved, as some
groups have suggested, but a `Yes' vote will mean that we've
traversed a long distance along the road to success and are
moving forward with giant strides; we'll have one level
built in the construction of a new Iraq. In addition, voting
for the constitution will defeat a large segment of
terrorists and Saddamists while blocking those who aim to
move Iraq backwards and prevent it from achieving its dream.
"Iraqi citizens have many dreams and aim to achieve them
all. Actually they think about materialistic things more
than about moral issues, and so they demand services before
making demands about the constitution, and they have the
right to do that. Saddam's followers have used this issue,
and are still doing so, to drive a wedge in the political
process and turn the public against the government. In order
to achieve security, stability, and provide essential
services as soon as possible, we need to vote `Yes' to the
constitution-anything else will return Iraq to zero and
Iraqis will need to wait another year to reach the same
level while suffering from terrorism which doesn't
distinguish between men, women, children, or the elderly-the
political process will collapse in light of security
breakdowns. So the Iraqi people have to choose to vote for
or against the constitution but they need to think deeply
about their choice before voting and they need to recognize
the word that represents the future of Iraq-the other word
will only lead to more murder, sabotage, and chaos.
"There is no doubt that Iraqis will comprehend that the word
`Yes' will give them more benefits and will hasten progress,
but those who call on people to vote negatively wish to see
more innocent Iraqi blood spilled and aim to reinstate the
same equation of injustice that was consolidated under
previous decades.Voting should reflect realism and logic and
not be based on emotions or materialism."
H. "No to the Boycott. No to the constitution"
(Al-Fourat, independent, anti coalition, published this back-
page editorial by Dawoud Al-Farhan)
"Opposition groups such as the Muslim Scholars' Association,
the National Dialogue Council, the Iraqi Islamic Party, the
Arab Nationalist Party, and the People of Iraq Conference,
have gathered to grant their supporters freedom in
participating in the referendum (by voting `No' to the
constitution or boycotting the referendum process) on
October 15. Such a decision will lead us through another
dark tunnel similar to the one we passed through during the
last election on January 30. Much criticism of the draft
constitution has emanated from Muqtada Al-Sadr who objected
to articles on federalism and the division of Iraq. He
ultimately left the decision on how to vote up to his
supporters while the UIA (United Iraqi Alliance) and the
Kurdish parties encouraged their people to vote `Yes' to the
constitution to realize their ambitions.
"Those parties are trying to divide Iraq's land and wealth
according to ethnic power sharing and sectarianism and to
marginalize the centralized government for the benefit of
small entities, and to create small states inside one state
with no power or authority left to the centralized
government. Iraq's future is in danger, if the situation
during the upcoming referendum is similar to what happened
in January's elections.
"Hesitation in making correct decisions and lack of national
will to reject the `forged' draft constitution, through
intensive participation in referendum and to topple the
forged draft constitution the same way of their forged
democracy, may result in its passage. Intensive
participation to vote `No' will reject the draft
constitution and all fake slogans about democracy, freedom,
pluralism, and federalism established by certain dubious
politicians who are trying to gain benefit from the chaos
caused by the occupational forces.
"Opposition organizations and parties released the following
statement: `Individuals are free to decide their
participation in the coming referendum. This is the nation's
future and we should unanimously vote against the premature
constitution by saying `No" in the coming referendum.'
"The American administration wrote the draft constitution
and we all know that. Any news about meetings held in the
U.S. between President Bush and Barzani concerning disputed
articles, and rumors about amendments are not true. The
Iraqi government and all its parties and clerics are working
to gain approval for this constitution. National Iraqi
forces should unify their position and vote against the
constitution. Our people in Ninewah, Salahuddin, and Al-
Anbar (the heroes' provinces) must participate in the coming
referendum and vote against this crippled constitution."
KHALILZAD