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Iraq's parliament agreed committee to
amend constitution
25.9.2006 |
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BAGHDAD,
September 25, -- Iraq’s parliament agreed on Monday
to set up a body to draft constitutional changes, a
key part of a breakthrough deal reached by the
country’s factions to end political paralysis and
avoid civil war.
Iraq’s new, U.S.-sponsored political system has been
stalled by wrangling over amendments to the
constitution and autonomy for the oil-rich Shi’ite
heartland in the south, while the streets have grown
ever more violent since December’s election.
Breaking the deadlock at a time when U.S. commanders
fear an upsurge in violence through the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan was a crucial test of Shi’ite Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s efforts to sustain his
four-month-old national unity government.
"I think the agreement is like a gift presented by
parliament to the Iraqi people for Ramadan,"
parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a Sunni
Arab, told the house.
"Any speech that might be considered offensive and
open up any other topic will be banned -- today is
like a wedding."
Under the deal reached on Sunday, majority Shi’ites
and minority Sunnis agreed to create a
constitutional committee and pass a law allowing
autonomy for regions, while postponing the creation
of any new autonomous region until at least 2008.
Members agreed on the committee in principle on
Monday, and will name its 27 members on Tuesday. It
will have 12 members from the ruling Shi’ite
religious bloc, five ethnic Kurds, four from the
main Sunni Arab bloc and smaller numbers of others.
STORMY
Still, the parliamentary session was stormy,
with
Kurdish groups walking out in protest at comments by
a politician who accused Kurds of driving Arabs from
the northern city of Mosul.
Kurds already enjoy sweeping autonomy in the north
and many Arab leaders fear they aim to expand their
territory across Iraq’s northern oilfield.
The deal resolves political issues that were
deliberately left vague last year in an effort to
persuade Sunni Arabs to end their three-year-old
insurgency and join the political process.
Sunni parties agreed to participate in the December
election after they were promised there could be
changes to the constitution, adopted in a referendum
in October. They want more guarantees for minorities
and central control of Iraq’s resources -- notably
the world’s third biggest oil reserves.
Many Shi’ite parties, meanwhile, want to press on
with setting up an autonomous region in the south, a
move that Sunnis fear would siphon most of Iraq’s
oil revenue away from Baghdad and could lead to the
country splitting apart.
Under Sunday’s deal, a law allowing autonomous
regions can now be passed and will have its first
reading on Tuesday, but will not come into effect
until 18 months after it is adopted. Sunnis
threatened a boycott of parliament if there was no
deal.
Most of Iraq’s majority Shi’ites began celebrating
the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Monday, two
days after Sunnis.
U.S. and Iraqi authorities have predicted, based on
experience from prior years, that the holiday could
see a surge in violence, which has killed about 100
Iraqis a day for months.
Reuters
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