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BAGHDAD, Iraq
-The most influential politician in Iraq issued a
veiled warning Wednesday to Sunni Arabs that Shiites
would not allow substantive amendments to the
country's new constitution, including to the
provision that keeps the central government weak in
favor of strong provincial governments.
Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme
Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI,
said in an address in honor of the Islamic holiday
of Eid al-Adha that provincial governments will
remain strong in the constitution, which can be
amended after the next government is installed.
"The first principle is not to change the essence of
the constitution. This constitution was endorsed by
the Iraqi people," he said.
Sunni Arabs place great stock in their ability to
change the constitution, one of the reasons Sunni
politician urged the minority to turn out in large
numbers during the Dec. 15 parliamentary election.
They want a stronger central government because the
constitution now bestows most power -- including
control over oil profits -- to provincial
governments. The Shiites in the south and the Kurds
in the north control most of Iraq's oil. There are
few oil reserves in central Iraq, where Sunnis live.
To win their support for the new constitution, which
was approved in an Oct. 15 vote, Sunni Arabs were
promised they could propose amendments to it during
the first four months of the new parliament's
tenure. The new parliament is expected to be seated
around the end of February. Amendments need
two-thirds approval in parliament and a majority in
a national referendum.
There was limited violence Wednesday. A roadside
bomb exploded next to a police patrol outside
Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, killing
two policemen, police Capt. Laith Mohammed said.
Iraqi police found seven bodies shot in the head,
their legs and hands bound, in a sewer in eastern
Baghdad, 1st Lt. Mohammed Khayon said.
Meanwhile, health officials in (Kurdistan) northern
Iraq, which shares a border with Turkey, have
started taking measures to prevent possible cases of
bird flu from entering the country. Preliminary
tests have shown that at least 15 people in Turkey
have been infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of
the flu. Two children have died.
Doctors, veterinarians and other health ministry
officials met Sunday in northern Iraq's Kurdish
enclave to discuss bird flu, the region's minister
of agriculture said Wednesday.
"A campaign will start on the borders of Turkey and
Iran to prevent the importation of any kind of
bird," Shamal Abid Waffal said. "No living birds are
allowed to be sold in the markets. Even the frozen
birds are not allowed to be taken from one city to
another without medical tests."
There have been no reported cases of bird flu in
Iraq.
Iraqis nationwide celebrated the opening of the
four-day Eid al-Adha celebration on Tuesday with
visits to relatives, food and sweets. Lambs were
slaughtered and food was distributed to the poor.
Eid al-Adha -- one of Iraq's biggest holidays --
concludes the pilgrimage to Mecca and is celebrated
by Muslims worldwide. It commemorates Abraham's
readiness to sacrifice his son in God's test of the
patriarch's faith. At the last moment, God
substituted a sheep for the son. The story is shared
by all the great monotheistic religions -- Islam,
Judaism and Christianity.
Shiites and Sunni Arabs also called for an end to
the bloodshed that has wracked Iraq since last
month's elections.
"This Eid is a happy day for all Muslims, especially
Iraqis. But it comes after painful events that
happened in Karbala and Ramadi," said Prime Minister
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite.
He referred to the killings of more than 120 people
in suicide bombings last week in the Shiite holy
city of Karbala and at a police recruiting center in
Ramadi. On Monday, suicide bombers infiltrated the
heavily fortified Interior Ministry compound in
Baghdad and killed 29 Iraqis -- an attack claimed by
al-Qaida in Iraq, a group with an avowed aim of
starting a sectarian war.
Violence has increased since the Dec. 15 elections,
with at least 498 Iraqis and 54 U.S. forces killed.
Al-Jaafari said despite the violence, Iraq had made
significant advances in 2005, citing a large turnout
in Dec. 15 elections as one of the biggest
achievements.
About 70 percent of Iraq's 15 million voters,
including large numbers of Sunni Arabs, participated
in the elections, although some Sunni Arab groups
complained the vote was tainted by fraud -- delaying
the release of results.
Al-Jaafari's governing United Iraqi Alliance emerged
with a large lead in the elections, far ahead of a
Kurdish coalition and Sunni Arab groups but without
the majority it will need in the 275-member
parliament to avoid a coalition.
With final results expected next week, the Shiites,
Kurds and some Sunni Arab groups have been talking
about forming a broad-based coalition government.
Al-Hakim, the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance,
urged Sunni Arabs on Tuesday to stop complaining and
accept the results.
In Washington, President Bush, speaking at a
gathering of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, also
urged Iraqis to put aside their differences to form
a government of national unity, warning that the
country "risks sliding back into tyranny" if it
dwells on old grievances.
AP
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