Via the
Associated Press

Iraqi Parliament Delays Constitution Vote

 By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer

In another dramatic last-minute standoff, Iraqi leaders late Monday put off
a vote on a draft constitution, adjourning Parliament at a midnight deadline
in a bid for more time to try to win over the Sunni Arab minority whose
support is key to ending the insurgency.

Negotiators representing majority Shiites, Kurds and Sunni Arabs finished
the draft on Monday and prepared to submit it to parliament as the lawmakers
convened minutes before midnight. But they withdrew the draft in the final
minutes because of fierce resistance over issues including federalism, which
Sunnis fear could cut them out of most of the country’s vast oil wealth.

The 15 Sunni Arab members of the drafting committee issued a statement
early Tuesday saying they had rejected the constitution because the government
and the committee did not abide by an agreement for consensus.

“We reject the draft constitution that was submitted because we did not
have an accord on it,” said Sunni delegate Nasser al-Janabi.

Although the statement was issued after parliament had deferred a decision,
it was significant because it indicates the Sunnis can try to block any accord
with which they do not agree entirely. That could severely complicate the
discussions in the coming days.

The numerous remaining issues cast doubt whether the Iraqis would be able
to finish the document within a few days since the various groups have widely
differing positions on all those points. Repeated delays are a deep
embarrassment for the Bush administration at a time of growing doubts within
the United States over the mission in Iraq.

One Shiite negotiator cautioned it was “not possible to please everyone.”
But the negotiator, Humam Hammoudi, Shiite chairman of the 71-member committee
that struggled for weeks to try to complete the draft, said “many things have
been achieved in this constitution and we hope it will be a real step toward
stability.”

When the lawmakers convened shortly before midnight, parliament speaker
Hajim al-Hassani told them there was strong interest in reaching unanimity on
the draft “so that the constitution pleases everyone.”

“All these groups in the coming three days will try, God willing to reach
accord on some points that are still disagreements,” he said. “The draft
constitution has been received and we will work on solving the remaining
problems.”

He then adjourned the session without a vote.

Afterward, he told reporters that the main outstanding issues were
federalism, the formation of federal units, problems related to mentioning the
Baath Party in the constitution, and the division of powers between the
president, the parliament and the Cabinet.

Washington had applied enormous pressure on the Iraqis to meet the original
Aug. 15 deadline but parliament instead had to grant a week’s extension, which
they again failed to meet.

The first deadline to adopt a constitution expired a week ago, with
Parliament voting to extend it for seven days. The legislature supposedly had
to disband if the deadline was not met, but lawmakers said nothing about that
late Monday.

Shiites and Kurds have enough seats in parliament to win approval for a
draft without the Sunni Arabs. But the Sunni minority could scuttle the
constitution when voters decide whether to ratify it in the Oct. 15
referendum. Under current rules, the constitution would be defeated if it is
opposed by two-thirds of the voters in three of Iraq’s 18 provinces. Sunni
Arabs form the majority in at least four.

In addition, an attempt by Shiites and Kurds to win parliamentary agreement
without the Sunnis could risk a backlash within the community that is at the
forefront of the insurgency and undercut U.S. hopes to begin withdrawing
troops next year.

The Kurds demand federalism to protect their self-rule in three northern
provinces. Sunni Arabs oppose that, fearing Kurds want to declare
independence. Shiites are divided, with factions supporting federalism wanting
to build a Shiite region in the south.

The showdown on the constitution came as violence persisted in Iraq.

The U.S. military said two U.S. soldiers from Task Force Liberty were
killed Monday by a roadside bomb during a combat patrol north of Baghdad, and
two more soldiers died when their vehicle overturned during a military
operation near Tal Afar. At least 1,870 U.S. troops have died since the Iraq
war started in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

President Bush defended the war in Iraq on Monday in the face of growing
skepticism, asserting that “a policy of retreat and isolation will not bring
us safety” from terrorism.

“The only way to defend to our citizens where we live is to go after the
terrorists where they live,” Bush said in Salt Lake City in a speech to the
national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

As it was quickly approaching midnight Baghdad time, I kept getting all these
news alert saying they had the constitution done, they didn’t get it done, they
wouldn’t vote on it. Sounds like a real mess going on in Iraq’s parliament.

If the Sunni’s don’t accept the constitution and parliament does pass it,
then the Sunni’s still have a chance to defeat it. If 3 of any of the 18
providences rejects the constitution by 2/3 vote then the constitution will be
defeated. The Sunni’s will easily be able to do this and then we will be back to
square one on establishing a democratic Iraqi government.

If Bush would of had any pre-war planning or idea of the extreme facets of
Iraq’s religious population, he would of known this would most likely be the
case. Instead he chose to ignore all that and here we are in a possible
stalemate.