|
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Last-minute talks among
Iraqi leaders on the text of a draft constitution
have ended without making amendments and printing
will start on Thursday, a senior member of the
parliamentary drafting team said on Tuesday.
"The talks have ended. We did not reach any
agreement on making changes to the draft. It will be
printed in the form it was read to the National
Assembly last week," Bahaa al-Araji told Reuters.
"No changes will be made."
Five million copies would be printed, starting on
Thursday, he said.
The draft, adopted on Aug. 28 by the Shi'ite- and
Kurdish- dominated parliament despite objections
from some minority Sunni Arabs, was supposed to go
straight to the printers last week to be circulated
to voters.
But informal talks between factions to try to
appease Sunni Muslims with minor changes in wording
held up the printing.
Some Sunni leaders had said they would campaign for
a 'No' vote without some amendments in the draft.
"We are sad that this has happened, very sad that
they took this decision even though they know what
will happen to this country if they pass it in this
form," Saleh al-Mutlak, a senior negotiator for
Sunni Arabs, told Reuters.
"If the constitution gets a 'Yes' then Iraqis who
reject it will say that the results were falsified.
The situation will be bad politically and the
security situation might get out of control. If the
constitution gets the two thirds 'No' in three
provinces, sectarian tension will increase."
"They were really unwise to take this decision."
If two thirds of voters in three of Iraq's 18
provinces cast a ballot against the constitution it
will be vetoed and the drafting process will start
again under a new interim Assembly to be elected in
December. If the constitution is approved, the
parliament elected in December will serve a full
term.
Sunnis have been concerned at Kurdish and Shi'ite
proposals for decentralised power and at Kurdish
interests in keeping open the option of secession
for their northern mountain region.
Reuters
Top |
® 