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BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Members of Iraq's
constitution drafting committee signed the draft
charter Sunday after making some minor amendments, a
Shiite on the committee said, and a ceremony was
scheduled to mark the completion of the draft.
The draft now goes to the Iraqi people in an Oct. 15
referendum. Five million copies will be circulated
nationwide in food allotments each Iraqi family
receives monthly from the government.
The amendments were made in hopes of appeasing the
Sunni Arab minority, including removing the word
''party'' from the phrase about Saddam Hussein's
Baath Party and allowing the parliament to be
elected in December to decide the fate of a
committee set up to purge for members.
But it was unclear if that was enough to appease the
Sunni Arabs and whether the 15 Sunni negotiators
signed the final document. Committee members
appeared in the meeting hall for a group photo but
made no statements.
Earlier on Sunday, Sunni negotiator Sadoun Zubaydi
said ''this is the end as far as the marginalized
groups are concerned'' and ''as far as the drafting
process is concerned.
''We now have to see how to proceed from here,'' he
said.
The ceremony marking completion of the drafting
process was set for 6:30 a.m. EDT.
Shiite legislator Mohammed Baqir al-Bahadli said
''the constitution drafting committee has completed
its work'' and that an advertising and media
campaign would begin right after the announcement to
try to rally public support.
Parliament speaker Hajim al-Hassani had said the
National Assembly would convene Sunday to accept the
draft despite opposition from Sunni Arabs to
portions of the document.
The interim constitution does not implicitly require
legislative approval.
AP
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