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Arabic Language in Kurdistan ! Iraq to
amend charter before vote
12.10.2005
By Aseel Kami and Omar al-Ibadi
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Iraq to amend charter before
vote, but no harmony
BAGHDAD, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament
prepared to amend a draft constitution on Wednesday
in a bid to defuse sectarian feuding just three days
before the document is put to a referendum.
But though concessions made by the ruling Shi'ite
and Kurdish coalition persuaded one prominent Sunni
group to back the text, others stood firm in the
hostility that has thwarted U.S. hopes of Saturday's
vote being a celebration of a new national unity.
President Jalal Talabani hosted a meeting of senior
figures that was expected to endorse a deal to make
four minor changes to the charter distributed to
millions of voters. Officials have said voters will
be informed of the changes by television.
It is unclear how the split in the ranks of their
leaders will affect Sunni voters -- about 20 percent
of the population.
Further changes to the constitution, possibly more
profound, may be discussed within the first four
months of a parliament to be elected on Dec. 15,
assuming as most people do that Iraqis vote "Yes" on
Saturday, government sources and legislators said.
The National Assembly announced a special evening
session at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT) and, anticipating no
difficulty in securing a two-thirds majority, said
it would be followed by celebratory speeches to an
invited audience of diplomats and dignitaries.
"There will be a vote on these four amendments,"
said Saad Qandeel, a Shi'ite member of the
constitutional drafting committee which spent weeks
over the summer struggling, and failing, to clinch a
deal that would satisfy the Sunni minority.
Listing the changes, which he conceded did not
address the basic demand from the formerly dominant
Sunnis to scrap plans for sweeping regional
autonomy, he said one would add a clause emphasising
"Iraq's unity, its earth, people and sovereignty".
"The second one confirms Iraq belongs to the Arab
and Islamic worlds, the third confirms use of the
Arabic language in Kurdistan," he said. These were
also Sunni Arab concerns.
A clause on how men and women can pass Iraqi
nationality to their children would also be slightly
amended.
"These four items already exist in the constitution,
it's just confirmation or clarification; there are
no fundamental amendments because there is no time
to do that."
SUNNIS SPLIT
The changes won the support of the Iraqi Islamic
Party, one of the more established groups among
several claiming to speak for the Sunni Arab
minority that largely boycotted January's election
for the current interim government.
But other Sunni groups said they remained opposed to
the constitution, which is key to Washington's plan
to establish a stable system in the country,
allowing it to withdraw its troops.
"The decision of the Iraqi Islamic Party does not
represent the views of the Sunnis. This is a ploy by
the people in power to divide the Sunnis," said
Hussein al-Falluji, a Sunni politician who was
involved in earlier constitutional talks.
"Anyone supporting this constitution is merely
ruining his reputation," said Abdul Salam al-Kubaisi
of the powerful Muslim Clerics Association, who
criticised the Iraqi Islamic Party.
"We are telling people it is up to them whether to
boycott the ballot or cast a 'No' vote," he added.
Sectarian violence has increased ahead of Saturday's
vote as insurgents opposed to the constitution step
up attacks. On Tuesday, as negotiators met, almost
30 Iraqis were killed in car bomb attacks in Baghdad
and the northern town of Tal Afar.
SHI'ITE RESERVATIONS
Some leaders of the Sunni Arabs, who dominated Iraq
under Saddam Hussein, say the constitution's federal
provisions risk breaking the country into warring
regions, with Sunnis caught between an oil-rich
south allied to fellow Shi'ites in Iran, and a
non-Arab Kurdish state encroaching on the northern
oilfields.
Some leading Shi'ites have also voiced doubts about
the draft. One of the most senior ayatollahs,
Mohammed Mehdi al- Khalisi, called for rejection of
the constitution on Tuesday because it had been
drawn up under foreign occupation.
Nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has led
armed revolts against occupation, has criticised the
constitution's federal nature but not given a clear
voting signal to followers.
Yet for many, approval of the constitution on Oct.
15 is almost a foregone conclusion, with few Sunnis
saying they believe they can muster a blocking
two-thirds majority against the charter in three of
Iraq's 18 provinces.
As a result, political energies are already focusing
on the parliament that will be elected for four
years in December. Unlike in January, many Sunnis
are expected to take part in the hope of influencing
changes to the constitution.
There have been complaints about delays that have
prevented many Iraqis from reading the actual text.
In Mosul, where a big Sunni "No" vote may be
possible, a spokesman for the governor's office said
drafts had not been received: "Even the governorate
has not received a copy. That seems a deliberate
move to stop people reading the constitution."
Iraq's Talabani confirms constitutional changes
agreed
BAGHDAD, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Iraq's main
political leaders have agreed to constitutional
amendments to ensure broadest possible support for
the charter as it goes to a referendum on Saturday,
President Jalal Talabani said on Wednesday.
Talabani confirmed at a news conference the changes
were agreed in a meeting between members of the
Shi'ite- and Kurdish -led ruling coalition and an
influential Sunni Arab group.
Many Sunnis have opposed the constitution, with some
waging a campaign of insurgent attacks and bombings
in an effort to derail the U.S.-backed political
process.
Reuters
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