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Charter Ready for Referendum, Sunnis Opposed
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"If
the nation rejects it, we will write another one," Talabani
said. (Reuters)
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BAGHDAD
, August 28, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Shortly
after the Iraqi parliament wrapped up a session on the final draft of
the constitution without a vote, President Jalal Talabani said Sunday,
August 28, the charter was ready to be put for vote in a referendum.
"The
draft constitution is ready and will be presented to the Iraqi people,
who are known for their intelligence, to give their verdict on October
15," Talabani said at a ceremony marking the end of the drafting
process, Agence France Presse (AFP) said.
"There
are objections from our Sunni Arab brothers ... but nobody can claim
that they represent the whole spectrum of Sunni Arabs," said
Talabani, a Kurd.
"If
the nation rejects it, we will write another one."
Iraqi
MPs earlier concluded a special session on the final text sponsored by
the Shiite and Kurdish blocs without a vote due to the Sunni
opposition, leaving the final decision for the public in the
referendum.
Technically,
no vote was required by the parliament over the text which was signed
by the three-man presidency, including Sunni Vice President Ghazi
Al-Yawer.
The
final text was presented by the head of the 57-member drafting panel,
Sheikh Humam Mammudi, after which a panel member began reading out its
contents.
It
describes
Iraq
as a "republican, parliamentary, democratic and federal"
country.
The
document also refers to Islam as "
a main
source of legislation".
It
further sticks to wording that
Iraq
is "part of the Islamic world and its Arab people are part of the
Arab nation".
The
text bans "the Saddamist Baath and its symbols", omitting
the phrase "Baath party", which was included in an earlier
draft.
Sunni
Objection
The
Sunni members in the constitution-drafting panel objected to the draft
presented to parliament, AFP said.
"There
are disputed points which cannot be overlooked because they lead to
the dismantling of the country," the Sunni members said a joint
statement.
"We
decided to reject these points... but this would not stop us from...
taking part in the political process to reach a unified
Iraq
, starting with the elections."
The
Sunni Arabs presented Saturday, August
27, a
new charter proposal declaring Islam the main source of legislation
and omitting any reference to the world federalism.
They
also wanted the new charter to describe the whole of
Iraq
as part of the Arab world.
The
Sunni members stressed that they would campaign against the
constitution in the referendum.
"I
believe the people will say 'No' to the American constitution,"
Hussein Al-Falluji told Reuters, referring to the new charter.
Under
the US-drafted interim law, the charter will fail if two-thirds of
voters in any three provinces reject it.
Sunni
Arabs form a majority in at least three provinces: Al-Anbar, Ninevah
and Salaheddin.
Most
Progressive
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"The
draft constitution of
Iraq
is the most progressive document of the Muslim world,"
Khalilzad said. (Reuters)
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US
Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad lauded the new charter.
"The
draft constitution of
Iraq
is the most progressive document of the Muslim world," he told
reporters.
Khalilzad,
who was closely involved in the crafting process, said the document
protects the unity of the war-torn nation and also advocates women's
rights.
Speaking
earlier to the
US
television network NBC, he admitted that if Sunnis do not approve the
constitution it would be a problem.
EU
Welcomes
The
British presidency of the European Union on Sunday heralded
Iraq
's draft constitution as an "important milestone in the political
process".
"The
United Kingdom
, as presidency of the EU, today welcomes the publication of
Iraq
's constitution," the Foreign Office said in an official
statement.
"The
European Union encourages all Iraqis to play a part in the next stage
of the political process by voting on the draft constitution in the
October referendum. Broad public support for the constitution will
help ensure a stable future for
Iraq
."
After
the
US
,
Britain
, which holds the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, has the
second-biggest military presence in
Iraq
with around 8,500 troops.
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