Deadline for Iraq constitution arrives
(AP)
Updated: 2005-08-15 19:18

BAGHDAD, Iraq - With the deadline for the new constitution just hours away, Shiite and Kurdish leaders signaled they were prepared to submit the draft to parliament Monday — even over Sunni Arab objections.

Iraq election commission officials distribute Oct. 15 constitution election posters to local residents, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005, in the holy city of Najaf, 165 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Despite the many differences, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani predicted a constitutional draft will be ready by the Monday, Aug. 15 deadline. A finalized draft of the constitution will be put before the Iraqi people Oct. 15 for their approval. [AP]

Shiite lawmaker Hassan al-Sunnaid said there were "no deadlocks" and that the draft would be submitted to the National Assembly by the evening deadline. After al-Sunnaid spoke, however, Sunni Arab members Kamal Hamdoun and Haseeb Aref said there was no agreement on federalism and other divisive issues that have blocked an agreement for weeks.

Sidelining the Sunnis risks a backlash in the minority community that forms the core of the insurgency.

The United States, which has pressured Iraqi officials to meet the Monday deadline, hopes the constitution will serve as a major step in luring Sunnis away from the insurgency so that American and other foreign troops can begin to go home next year.

Hamdoun and Haseeb said they had been invited to a final meeting with Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and political leaders but the invitation arrived late and they were unsure they would even attend.

"I personally support postponing" parliamentary approval until Sep. 15, Haseeb said. "I don't expect them to hand the draft today because there is no unanimity."

Sunni Arabs have asked that the issue of federalism be put off until next year. Shiites and Kurds, the two other major groups in the country, are pushing for autonomous regions in the southern and northern parts of Iraq, but Sunnis fear the proposal could split Iraq.

Sunnis also oppose other proposals endorsed by the Shiites and Kurds, including proposals for a special status for the Shiite clerical leadership and a formula for distributing oil wealth and dual citizenship.

But Shiites and Kurds dominate the 275-member National Assembly — as well as the constitutional committee — and could ram through the charter over Sunni Arab objects. Other options include amending the interim constitution to extend the deadline or dissolving parliament.

Sunnis could defeat the constitution in the Oct. 15 national referendum. If two-thirds of the voters in three provinces vote against the constitution, it would be defeated. Sunni Arabs form the majority in at least four provinces.

"It looks like all the agreements are being made only by the Kurds and the Shiites without even asking our opinion," Sunni Arab official Saleh al-Mutlaq said Sunday. "I believe the draft is going to be presented tomorrow even if it is not finished, with or without our approval."

An extension would require approval of two-thirds of parliament and the president and his two deputies. U.S. officials have pressured Iraqis to stick to Monday's deadline.

American officials applied pressure to resolve differences on that and other issues before Monday's deadline — despite the risks of alienating the Sunnis.

"The Iraqis tell me that they can finish it and they will finish it tomorrow," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Sunday in a televised interview.

Khalilzad said that "a lot of American blood and American treasure has been spent here" — a point that he had made "abundantly clear to my Iraqi interlocutors."

The U.S. military said Sunday that five soldiers had been killed in roadside bombings, and at least 11 Iraqis were killed in scattered violence across the country. A grave with 30 bodies was also found Sunday by Iraqi commandos in southern Baghdad.

Violence continued Monday. In Khalis, 50 miles north of Baghdad, gunmen killed three people in separate shootings, including a municipal council member and his driver, police said Monday. Four others were wounded.

Police said that gunmen killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded three others at a checkpoint in Buhriz, 35 miles north of Baghdad.

In west Baghdad, an insurgent ambush killed one Iraqi soldier and injured another, police Capt. Talib Thamir said.

Iraq's parliament could approve the draft by a simple majority, and the Shiites and Kurds together hold 221 of the 275 seats. However, that risks a Sunni backlash that could scuttle the constitution when it is put before voters in an Oct. 15 referendum.

If two-thirds of the voters in at least three of the 18 provinces vote "no," the charter would be defeated and Sunnis form a majority in at least four provinces. Sunni clerics are urging followers to vote against any constitution that could lead to the breakup of the country

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