With Kirkuk aside, Iraq can meet charter deadline 20.6.2005

Dr.Barham Salih
"Final status of Kirkuk, the administrative status, whether it is part of the Kurdistan region or another region, will be decided after the permanent constitution is ratified," Barham Salih,

But leaders have agreed, in accordance with recommendations made in Iraq's U.S.-brokered interim constitution last year, that Kirkuk will not be dealt with until after a permanent constitution is ratified and a census held in disputed areas.

Drafting a permanent constitution by Aug. 15 is the next major step in Iraq's hoped-for transition to democracy. Once drafted, the document must be approved by a referendum, before new elections are held under the charter by mid-December.

"Final status of Kirkuk, the administrative status, whether it is part of the Kurdistan region or another region, will be decided after the permanent constitution is ratified," Barham Salih, a Kurd who is Iraq's planning minister, told Reuters.

"We would like the status of Kirkuk to be resolved as soon as possible ... but we recognise also that Kirkuk is a multi- ethnic place," the former deputy prime minister said.

Bahaa al-Araji, the head of one of the drafting subcommittees, agreed Kirkuk would not be debated.

"Kirkuk will not be mentioned in the constitution. Kirkuk is important to all Iraqis," he said, explaining that its sensitivities meant the issue could not be rushed or pushed.

TRAGIC TO MISS DEADLINE

Setting aside such a potentially divisive issue allows the body drafting the charter to focus instead on two other major sticking points -- federalism and the role of religion.

While both are also highly contentious, many believe they can be adequately resolved in the coming months, particularly as much of the rest of the constitution is unlikely to change substantially from last year's interim charter.

An agreement last week under which more Sunni Arabs will join the constitution committee, giving them 17 of 70 seats, has also enhanced prospects for finding broad agreement on the document and getting it drafted by the deadline, officials say.

"The fact is, everyone who is involved wants to get it done by the deadline and is saying that it will be done by the deadline, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be," said a Western diplomat closely involved in the process.

"Kirkuk is not going to be dealt with until later, so that basically leaves federalism and Islam, both of which are potentially heated (issues) but which can be sorted out," she said, asking not to be identified so as not to be seen to be influencing decisions that rest with Iraqis.

There has been widespread speculation that Iraqi lawmakers might fail to meet the timetable, particularly since it took two months to name a government and weeks to name a committee to draft the constitution.

But so far, Iraq's politicians have managed to meet almost all the U.S.-backed deadlines laid out for them -- the transition of power to an interim government, the holding of elections in January, the formation of a new government -- and lawmakers insist the constitution will be no different.

"I think it's very important for us to stick to the timeline. I don't think it's very difficult to do that," Hajem al-Hassani, the speaker of Iraq's parliament, told reporters while on a visit to Tokyo last week.

He agreed that federalism, the role of Islam -- whether it should be a source or the source of law -- and one or two other issues would be contentious, but could be resolved.

"It would be tragic to miss the deadline," said Salih, the planning minister, saying that key players had already accepted the interim charter as the basis for the new constitution.

"We have a very pressing timeframe, but missing the deadline is not an option ... It would be extremely dangerous."

Reuters   

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