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Sunnis reject draft Iraqi constitution

Atul Aneja

MANAMA: Iraq's Shia, Kurdish and Sunni negotiators have failed to arrive at a consensus on a draft Constitution, despite lengthy negotiations and American mediation, setting the stage for a crucial referendum in October.

Efforts to get Sunni support have formally ended, with a majority of negotiators representing the Shias and the Kurds signing the document. The final draft was read out in Parliament, which had been convened. A combination of Iraq's majority Shias and ethnic Kurds has a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Sunni negotiators were unanimous in rejecting the document, describing it as an "American Constitution."

"We have not agreed on this Constitution. We have objections which are the same as we had from day one," Hussein al-Falluji, claiming to represent all Sunni delegates, said.

He hoped that the Iraqi people would reject the Constitution during the October referendum. "This is an American Constitution and we will not accept it, no matter what."

Pointing to the referendums in France and the Netherlands this year where the draft European Union Constitution was defeated, he said, "The Iraqi people will be the third after the French and Dutch to say `no' to a Constitution."

The Sunnis can defeat the draft during the October 15 referendum as they are in a majority in four of Iraq's 18 provinces. Under the interim Iraqi Constitution, a two-thirds majority in three provinces can reject the document. Already, Sunni leaders are exhorting supporters to register for the referendum in large numbers.The text of the document that was read out showed that key Sunni objections had not been addressed. The preamble of the charter stated that Iraq was a federal state. The Sunnis had rejected the "federal principle," fearing that it would result in the establishment of autonomous Kurdish and Shia provinces. This would deprive them of oil revenues, as most of the oil was concentrated in these areas.

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