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Baghdad, 14 Sept. (AKI) - After a short trip
away from Iraq, the top United Nations envoy in the
war-torn country has plunged back into talks with
political leaders in an effort to facilitate the
political process ahead of next month's scheduled
referendum on a new constitution.
Secretary-general Kofi Annan's special
representative Ashraf Qazi met with Abdel Aziz
Al-Hakim, chairman of the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA),
vice president Adel Abed Al-Mahdi and deputy prime
minister Roowsh Shaways to discuss the electoral law
and latest developments in the constitutional
process.
He reiterated that the UN would provide the
necessary help in printing and distributing the
constitutional text authorised by the National
Assembly.
Qazi also met with vice president Ghazi El-Yawar and
with a delegation of the Arab Sunni leadership led
by Adnan Dulaimi, chairman of the General Conference
of the Sunni People.
Over the past months, the envoy has devoted much of
his time to trying to ensure the participation of
all elements in the country's political transition,
particularly Sunni Arabs who largely stayed away
from January's elections.
Sunni Arabs, who represent some 20 per cent of the
population, were the dominant political force in
Saddam Hussein's ousted regime. Shiites represent
about 60 per cent and Sunni Kurds some 20 per cent.
There are also other smaller communities such as
Assyrians and Turkmen.
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