|
Constitution chief will consult factions
29.7.2005
By Mona Mahmoud and Steven Komarow, USA TODAY
|
|
|
|
BAGHDAD — Under
pressure from the United States, the head of the
committee writing Iraq's constitution said he will
consult with leaders throughout the country in an
effort to settle arguments over religion, regional
autonomy and control of Iraq's oil.
Humam Hamoudi said he'll meet with religious, tribal
and political leaders over the next few days to
"iron out the last differences that might still
exist." The deadline for completing the constitution
is Aug. 15. The committee can seek a six-month
extension, but it must ask by Monday.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged Iraqi
officials in Baghdad to get the job done.
"We don't want any delays," he said during a brief
visit Wednesday. "They're simply going to have to
make the compromises necessary and get on with it."
Completing the constitution, a key step toward a
permanent democracy, would also set conditions that
would permit a reduction in U.S. troops, Rumsfeld
said.
With less than three weeks left before the deadline,
the committee faces big hurdles.
One draft under consideration would make Iraq an
Islamic state bound to follow the precepts of the
Koran. Senior Shiite Muslim scholars would be given
a special advisory status to the government. The
draft was printed in the state-subsidized newspaper
Al-Sabah.
Women's rights activists in Iraq and the USA warned
against incorporating a strict interpretation of
Islamic law in the constitution.
"We as Iraqi people must demand a civil constitution
that chimes with the will of all components of Iraq,
not a particular sect," said Hana Adour, a Christian
and women's activist.
Under that version of the constitution, women could
lose legal rights, especially in property and family
law, said Janet Walsh, acting director of Human
Rights Watch. The drafters must "decide whether to
protect women's rights or erode them for political
gain," she said.
Janin al-Ubaidi, a conservative Shiite on the
National Assembly, said Islamic law is compatible
with women's rights. The constitution guarantees
equality in education and all basic rights, she
said.
The draft also would outlaw local militias, a
provision opposed by the Kurds, who have protected
their semiautonomous region of northeast Iraq with
local troops since before the U.S. invasion of 2003.
"The peshmerga (militia) will stay, and there is
no force that will be able to cancel them," said
Massoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic
Party, which also favors Kurdish control of the
northern oil fields near Kirkuk.
Saleh al-Mutlak, a Sunni member of the constitution
committee, says the Sunnis will oppose any attempt
to subdivide Iraq, including a separate Kurdish
state.
www.usatoday.com
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 