Sunnis oppose finished Iraq charter

The United States and Britain, who see approval of a Constitution as key to defusing an insurgency, welcomed the draft, hailing it as a victory for democracy over extremism.

Rejection in the three of Iraq’s 18 provinces dominated by Sunni Arabs would be enough to torpedo the Constitution under current referendum rules, but President Jalal Talabani urged Iraqis to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum—due by October 15.

‘‘We hope that this constitution will be accepted by all Iraqis and that it will be for everybody. We are optimistic…. For sure there is no book that is perfect and cannot be amended except the Holy Koran,’’ Talabani, a former Kurdish guerrilla leader who fought Saddam Hussein, told a news conference.

A Sunni Arab delegate on the drafting committee said all his colleagues on the panel objected to the draft presented to Parliament. ‘‘We have not agreed on this Constitution. We have objections, which are the same as we had from day one,’’ Hussein al-Falluji, the Sunni Arab delegate, said.

US President George W. Bush on Sunday touted the merits of Iraq’s new Constitution but acknowledged Sunni Opposition and that the referendum could spark a new wave of violence. ‘‘Of course, there’s disagreements,’’ said Bush, who had made a personal appeal to Iraqi Shi’ites to cut a deal with Sunni Arabs. ‘‘That’s their right.’’

Although Iraq’s Parliament adjourned without a vote, delegates in the Shi’ite- and Kurdish-dominated Assembly said the draft’s reading in Parliament was enough to signify its acceptance. ‘‘We tried hard to include everybody’s demands but this could not be done. Some people are still opposed to some points. Even I may have some reservations,’’ said Parliament Speaker Hajim al-Hassani. Iraq will hold elections in December after the referendum.

The text read in Parliament suggested limited concessions to the Sunnis, whose community is the seat of Iraq’s insurgency. Retreating from earlier drafts referring to Saddam’s political party, it omitted the phrase ‘‘Baath party’’ and instead banned ‘‘the Saddamist Baath and its symbols’’. Sunnis had pressed for the removal of any clauses in the draft that bar party members from public life, arguing that not all of them have blood on their hands.

The text sticks to wording that says Iraq is ‘‘part of the Islamic world and its Arab people are part of the Arab nation’’. Sunnis, and some Shi’ites, who are also Arabs, wanted it to say that Iraq as a whole is part of the Arab world. The Kurds of the north are Muslims, but not Arabs.

The preamble made clear that Iraq was a federal republic. Sunnis’ main objection has been to federalism, which they fear could lead to the break-up of the country and leave them with a rump state minus the rich oil zones in the north and south.

—Reuters

Abu Ghraib detainees freed
WASHINGTON: The US Military released nearly 1,000 detainees between August 24 to 27 from the Abu Ghraib prison at the request of the Iraqi government, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said today. The release of detainees was the largest to date and ‘‘marks a significant event in Iraq’s progress toward democratic governance and the rule of law,’’ it said. All those chosen for release were not guilty of serious crimes—such as bombing, torture, kidnapping, or murder—and all have admitted their crimes, renounced violence, and pledged to be good citizens of a democratic Iraq, according to CENTCOM. AFP/PTI