Baghdad, Iraq – With one day left to finish Iraq’s new constitution, Sunni Arabs asked Sunday that the divisive issue of federalism be put off until next year so the draft can be completed on time, warning that they would not accept provisions for federated states.
American officials applied pressure to resolve differences on that and other issues before today’s deadline for parliament to adopt the constitution, and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said he was convinced the Iraqis would succeed.
Some politicians said the draft could be presented to the Shiite- and Kurdish-led parliament today over Sunni Arab objections. But that would further alienate that disaffected minority, undercutting the U.S. goal of using the political process to take the steam out of the Sunni-dominated insurgency.
“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.” Parliament scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m. today to allow as much time as possible for negotiators to agree on a draft.
The main obstacle was the argument over federalism, which the formerly dominant Sunni Arabs fear could lead to Kurdish and Shiite Muslim regions splitting away from Iraq. But al-Mutlaq said there also was no agreement on 17 other issues, including the distribution of oil wealth.
Another Sunni official voiced objections over a Shiite-Kurdish deal to grant special status to the clerical hierarchy of Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority.
Meanwhile, five U.S. soldiers were killed by roadside bombs over the weekend and another died in a shooting, the U.S. military announced. At least 11 Iraqis were killed Sunday in attacks across the country, police said.
Sunni Arab politicians asked that federalism be left out of the constitution until a new parliament is elected during a meeting with President Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani, leaders of the two major Kurdish parties and proponents of a federal system to protect the self-rule Kurds have had since 1991.
“We made a proposal to transfer federalism and the process of forming federal regions to the next National Assembly,” Sunni politician Kamal Hamdoun said.
“Legislation could be drafted on these two matters and a referendum could be held on them.”
Hamdoun said the Sunnis received no response to their proposal, which the Kurds have rejected in the past.
