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Work on Iraqi constitution is stalled by
Sunni delegates' boycott
24.7.2005
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BAGHDAD,- With
only three weeks left before a deadline to complete
a draft of Iraq's new constitution, work stopped
Saturday on the toughest unresolved issues in the
charter while Shiite and Kurdish politicians tried
to end a Sunni Arab boycott of the process,
delegates said.
A leading Sunni in the constitution talks, Salih
Mutlaq, said the Shiites and Kurds had agreed to all
but one of his bloc's demands, an international
investigation into the assassination Tuesday of a
Sunni member of the constitution drafting committee.
The unsolved fatal shooting of Mijbil Esa triggered
a walkout by all Sunnis at the talks. Mutlaq has
accused the Shiite- and Kurdish-led government of a
role in the killing. But he said the Sunnis could
return as soon as Sunday if the final demand is met.
"We do not want the constitution to be written by
others, and we do not want to be away from the
political process,'' Mutlaq said. "They must act
quickly, because if we return late, there is no
meaning for our return.''
Lawmakers in Iraq's interim government have
committed themselves to having a draft constitution
approved by Aug. 15 and a referendum on the document
by Oct. 15. Delegates said they must formally notify
parliament by Aug. 1 if they are going to miss the
deadline.
Finishing the draft constitution on time is seen by
U.S. officials and many Iraqis as vital to
countering Iraq's insurgents, whose attacks have
eroded public confidence in the U.S.-backed
government. But including the Sunni minority in
framing the constitution is seen as equally
important, as a way to draw Sunnis away from the
insurgency.
On Saturday, Shiites and Kurds drafting the
constitution decided to postpone debate on major
unresolved issues, including federalism, said Ali
Dabbagh, a Shiite Arab on the constitutional
committee.
Kurds and Shiites are urging a strong federal system
that would shift power from Baghdad to the
provinces, particularly Iraq's Kurdish north and
Shiite south.
Jalaladeen Sagheer, a top Shiite member of the
constitution committee, said Sunnis wrongly believe
federalism is "a step toward the fragmentation of
the country."
In an interview in the southern Shiite city of Najaf,
Sagheer accused Sunnis of prolonging their boycott
in hopes of squelching debate on federalism.
"They say they will not come back until the question
of federalism, which is a major demand by the
Shiites and the Kurds, is removed,'' the Shiite
cleric said. But he said the issue should be
resolved "through dialogue and persuasion, not
pressure.''
Also Saturday, committee member Bahaa Al Arajy said
the panel had rejected a Kurdish demand that the
constitution specify a right to a Kurdish vote on
independence in eight years. Iraq's northern
Kurdistan region already is largely autonomous.
Meanwhile, a statement posted on the Internet and
attributed to al Qaeda in Iraq, asserted
responsibility for kidnapping two Algerian diplomats
who were seized at gunpoint in Baghdad Thursday. The
attack was the latest of several targeting Middle
Eastern diplomats in Baghdad.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said some envoys have
refused to have Iraqi guards or police escorts. The
Iraqi defense and interior ministers will meet
Sunday on security issues "including the protection
of diplomats and the country,'' Talabani said.
Talabani spoke to reporters at his home alongside
the new U.S. ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, pledging,
"We will cooperate to defeat the terrorists."
"Iraq will succeed,'' Khalilzad said.
Insurgent attacks reported Saturday included the
killings of three policemen in Fallujah and of an
Interior Ministry employee, news agencies reported.
Correspondent Ellen Knickmeyer in Irbil, and special
correspondents Omar Fekeiki and Khalid Saffar in
Baghdad, and Saad Sarhan in Najaf contributed to
this report.
www.washingtonpost.com
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