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BAGHDAD, Aug 24 (AFP) - 18h51 - Efforts to push
through war-torn Iraq's constitution received a
boost Wednesday after the autonomous Kurdistan
parliament approved the charter even as Sunni Arabs
kept up their opposition.
As political events unfolded, at least 35 people
were killed in rebel attacks across central and
northern Iraq.
The deadliest strike was in Baghdad when a suicide
car bomber attacked a police patrol in Ghazalia
district sparking a gunbattle between rebels and
security forces. At least 15 people were killed and
59 wounded, security sources said.
Iraqi Kurdistan's regional parliament passed the
draft constitution saying it was a "big step" for
the Kurds.
"Although the draft is not up to our expectations,
it represents a big step for us in this period,"
speaker Adnan al-Mufti said in his address to the
Kurdish parliament in the northern city of Arbil.
The approval from Iraqi Kurdistan is expected to
pave the way for Iraq's 275-member parliament to
pass the draft Thursday as Kurds and the majority
Shiites together hold about 210 seats in the
national assembly.
Iraq's interim rules stipulate that the draft can be
passed by a simple majority in parliament.
Kurdish leaders were initially demanding the right
to self-determination, a federal structure for Iraq
and the inclusion of oil-rich Kirkuk in their
autonomous northern region.
But intense US pressure forced them to climb down
and agree to the draft along with the Shiites.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, Iraqi leaders were busy
trying to persuade the Sunni Arabs to sign up to the
draft constitution, a day before the charter goes to
parliament.
Sunni negotiators have expressed anger over the
country's post-Saddam Hussein constitution, with
some even calling it "illegal".
"We should have a consensus between the three groups
-- Shiites, Kurds and the Sunnis," President Jalal
Talabani told reporters.
"We should respect the demands of the Sunnis because
the constitution is not to serve only a certain
category of people but for the whole of Iraq," said
Talabani, a Kurd.
Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said Tuesday that the
charter was nearly complete with consensus on 151 of
153 articles, including the federal status of the
government and the status of regions and provinces.
The writing of the document, a key stage in Iraq's
political transition following the US-led war that
ousted Saddam Hussein, has been hampered by sharp
differences on federalism, the role of Islam in
legislation, and sharing of oil revenues.
Under intense US pressure, Iraqi leaders had
presented an incomplete draft to lawmakers in a
nail-biting drama late Monday, beating the
stipulated deadline by just a few minutes.
But the draft did not have the consent of the Sunni
Arabs, who are considered fuelling Iraq's raging
insurgency, and who have warned that the
constitution will be rejected in an October
referendum.
Sunnis remain opposed to federalism, terms of an
agreement to share oil wealth and draft provisions
dealing with former members of Saddam's Baath party.
Talabani said the charter allowed tolerance of
former Baath party members not involved in serious
criminal acts under Saddam.
"Everyone is against those Baathists who have the
blood of Iraqi people on their hands. But the law of
de-Baathification should also take care of those
Baathists who had nothing to do with criminal
activities," he said.
But the Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars said
the draft was "fragile and would lead to the
division of Iraq." The process "failed to achieve
the minimum national consensus needed to legitimise
any constitution", it warned.
"This failure involves the US adminstration which
has sponsored this process and intervened in it
blatantly, because it is not able to deliver Iraq
out of its crises, including the political crisis."
Sunni panelists continued their anti-draft tirade.
"We have objections ... it is not legal to present a
draft to parliament which is incomplete," said Sunni
panelist Hassib Arif al-Obaidi.
"They should present a draft to parliament only
after it has our consent. The draft should have the
signatures of all the members of the constitution
drafting committee ... otherwise it is not legal."
The Sunnis are under-represented in parliament after
largely boycotting the January election, but have
warned that the charter will be defeated in the
referendum.
The interim law rules that the constitution will
fail if two-thirds of people in any three provinces
vote against it. Sunnis are a majority in Al-Anbar,
Nineveh and Salaheddin provinces.
But Interior Minister Bayan Baker Solagh expressed
confidence that the charter would win national
approval, adding "Iraqi security forces will do the
best to provide security" during the referendum.
Apart from the car bombing and gunbattle, 20 other
people were killed in attacks on Wednesday,
including four bodyguards of the deputy justice
minister, Bosho Ibrahim, when his convoy was
attacked by gunmen in Baghdad.
AFP
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