Cablegate: Daily Iraqi Website Monitoring - October 2, 2005

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 004074

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 - October 2, 2005

SUMMARY: Discussion of Iraqi oil revenues, terrorism, and
the political process were the major editorial themes of
Iraqi, Arabic language websites on October 2, 2005. END
SUMMARY.

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

A. "Who Controls Iraqi Oil Revenues?" (Iraq 4 All News,
10/2)
B. "After Balad's Catastrophe, Isn't It Time?" (Kitabat,
10/2)
C. "The Iraqi People's Conference" (Kitabat, 10/2)
D. "The Rejecters . Where To?" (Sawt Al-Iraq, 10/2)

SELECTED COMMENTARIES
----------------------------------------

A. "Who Controls Iraqi Oil Revenues?"
(Editorial by Ahmed Amrai - Iraq 4 All News -
http://iraq4all.org/viewnews.php?id=10157 )

"He who can answer two questions can tell us [Iraqis], and
the whole world, how two billion dollars disappeared from
Iraqi government funds.

"Upon leaving Iraq for good, the head of the U.S.
Occupational Authority [Coalition Provisional Authority],
Paul Bremer, carried a bag with $1 billion in cash,
according to the U.S. press. What is more interesting is
that Bremer never denied the story that he took the sum to
serve his personal interests.

"Prior to the Bremer era and the U.S. invasion in March
2003, the U.N. managed Iraq's oil revenues based on an
international sanctions program, which was imposed on Iraq
after Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1991. The expenditure of
these revenues was managed by a committee of permanent U.N.
members of the `oil for food program.' Despite bribery and
embezzlement among U.N. executives and Iraqi officials,
there was always enough [money] to provide for Iraq's basic
needs: food, medicine, and spare parts for services such as
electricity.

"Once Iraq was occupied, the U.N.'s role came to an end and
the story of `oil for food' ceased to exist. But a U.N.
Security Council resolution established the Iraqi
Development Fund as a safe for Iraqi oil revenues. The
questions are: Where is this fund? And who manages it? We
have not heard anything about this fund since its formation.

"Regardless of the answer, the U.S. occupation authorities
bear full responsibility for major violations that were
revealed in The Independent last week, which reported that
the Iraqi Minister of Finance said scam operations have
resulted in the loss of two billion dollars.

"Iraqi government officials might be partners in crime, but
they are certainly not the primary criminals. They are
nothing more than a front for the occupational
administration. This is supported by The Independent's
mention of U.S. military and intelligence members having a
background role.

"This is the way they invest in occupation and work to
prolong their presence; it is an effort to continue to loot.
Despite this, many Arab leaders still describe Iraqi
resistance as terrorism."

B. "After Balad's Catastrophe, Isn't It Time?"
(Editorial by Hasan Abdul Razaq - Kitabat - "Writings" -
http://www.kitabat.com/i8644.htm )

"Another death in Mesopotamia is delivered by Osama Bin
Ladin-a death emphasizing the sectarian nature of his filthy
war. This death is no different than those delivered by
Zionists who target Palestinian children to wipe out a
generation that would grow up to pay them back for many
nights of suppression.

"Twenty-two children were killed by this Saudi pig and
Jordanian dog. They are encouraged by Arab hypocrites and
Saddam loyalists who exchange congratulations over Iraqi and
Arab channels of hatred. What answer do these children have
to offer when asked why they were killed? What answer other
than innocence?
"I am secular, but by God this is a sectarian war. The
murder of these children is nothing more than a clear signal
of these extremists' plans for Shiites, and I dare anyone to
convince me otherwise.We are going to scream out in the
faces of those concerned officials: Isn't it time for things
to take a different course in the wake of this catastrophe?
Haven't we demonstrated good manners long enough to those
harboring our murderers?

"We are not willing to die as a nation so that Bin Ladin can
become the new king and Zarqawi can become the new prince,
while other individuals become rulers in Iraq and revive
another Saddam. We demand that all concerned officials,
regardless of their different backgrounds and origins, find
an immediate Iraqi solution to our crisis. We do not want
the American solution, which uses us as wood for their burnt
sacrifices to the terrorists, as they did before when Saddam
was ordered to make us fuel for his war with the Iranians."

C. "The Iraqi People's Conference"
(Editorial by Abdul Zahra Abdul Rasoul - Kitabat -
"Writings" http://www.kitabat.com/i8647.htm )

"Is this an attempt at national unity or an attempt to
confiscate the Iraqi [spirit] of the others? This is a
sectarian conference. Its original title was closer to
reality: `The General Conference of the Sunni People.' It
claimed to defend Sunni interests and prevent their
marginalization in political life. Their trembling
spokesperson yells and shrieks that he will not approve any
decision that would marginalize Sunnis. We recently found
out that he is the religious advisor of our Kurdish
president.

"When the Conference of the Sunni People was founded, all
sectarian extremists in Iraq blessed it. Sectarian Shiites
congratulated sectarian Sunnis for the achievement. The
saying at that time was: we were awaiting this event and it
is a step in the right direction. I understood that
sectarian extremists need others to justify their actions
and give them a reason to exist. How did the General
Conference of the Sunni People become The Iraqi People's
Conference?

"The name change will not change the content. The structure
and contents are sectarian-even if they added the word Iraq.
It is still sectarian because its membership is Sunni and it
defends Sunni interests only; therefore, it represents the
Sunnis first and foremost-[As if] it does not represent Iraq
until it is named, The Iraqi People's Conference.

"When the sectarian Shiites gather they do not care about
the place; whether they were praying last night or they were
in pubs in Paris, London or Washington, the important thing
is that they are from Shiite parents. Sectarian Sunnis are
no different; when they gather they do not care if one of
them is in ritual clothing or if he is hung-over in Sharm Al-
Sheikh, the important thing is to be from Sunni parents.

"Tell me for God's sake, aren't they similar?

"Yes, that is why they blessed each other when the
Conference of the Sunni People was established.

"God, put them with each other on Judgment day. Save honest
Sunnis from those sectarian ones. Save honest Shiites from
sectarian ones."

D. "The Rejecters . Where To?"
(Editorial by Hamza Al Shamkhi - Sawt Al-Iraq - "The Voice
of Iraq" - http://www.sotaliraq.com/articles-
iraq/nieuws.php?id=16591 )

"After the fall of the dictatorship and Saddam's escape on
April 9, 2003, many parties and organizations emerged,
including the new ones that opposed Saddam's regime. Many
tried to organize rallies and coordinate efforts to hold a
national conference to form a political entity capable of
leading Iraq during this exceptional stage. But from the
beginning, groups that rejected all efforts to enhance the
Iraqi national movement were present.

"These groups rejected the formation of a governing council
and everything it did during its term. They rejected the
Iraqi government that followed this council, and then
rejected everything that followed that. They rejected the
January 30, 2005 elections, and they doubted its results and
its legitimacy after millions of Iraqis participated.

"Rejections continued when the Iraqi National Assembly was
established based on the Iraqi electoral process; the
current Iraqi government that was formed has also been
rejected. They started the constitutional drafting process
in an atmosphere of rejection, boycott, and calls for `No'
votes in the October 15th referendum. The rejecters prepared
to reject the approaching Iraqi elections.
"The permanent rejection of those steps without offering
substitutes to the issues makes [these people] obstacles to
the Iraqi political process. Otherwise, what is the reason
for boycotting and rejecting any step towards the country's
stability and restoration of full national sovereignty?

"Yes, there are many disputable issues that require more
meetings, debates, dialogues and daily interaction to arrive
at the right solutions for Iraqis. American and other
foreign troops will not withdraw from our country [because
of our] rejections-only as a result of our [participation].
All are required to perform their national duties and
historic responsibilities to confront the external and
internal dangers facing the country, rather than rejecting
and boycotting."

SATTERFIELD

© Scoop Media