 Iraqi negotiators have reached agreement on one major roadblock to a new Iraqi constitution and an agreement could be reached on another as soon as tonight, a senior Iraqi official told CNN on Sunday. Negotiators clarified the role of Islam in the constitution, said Hachim al-Hassani, speaker of the National Assembly. Al-Hassani said the compromise language called Islam "a main source of legislation" -- wording that he said concerned him and women's rights advocates.
| This is the piece that's going to bite them hard in the long run. It's the camel's nose for the beturbanned bully boys to shove their fellow citizens around, like Tater's thugs are fond of doing already. They continue to shy away from that idea of individual freedom, first and foremost because their religion denies it. It's why I'm coming around to the idea that we're going to lose the fight to democratize them. |
The idea of federalism -- splitting the country into as many as three separate autonomous regions -- is the other stumbling block delaying a draft constitution. Those issues prompted the National Assembly to extend the August 15 deadline to Monday. The federalism issue hinges on control of Iraq's oil reserves, which are mostly contained in the Shiite majority south and the Kurdish majority north.
| I guess that part is actually "all about oil." |
Sunni Arabs, who largely live in the oil-devoid central areas, oppose a federalist system that would keep oil profits in the hands of regional governments. Some officials said the negotiators are seeking a solution that would keep control of oil revenues in a central government. Kurdish leaders, while pushing for autonomy, are shying away from the idea of the right to self-determination, a term that implies independence, not just autonomy. Some Shiites, particularly the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, have come out for an autonomous region in the Shiite south. Sunni Arabs and other Shiites, particularly those in the ruling government, oppose strong decentralization, and want a unified Iraq. The time set down by the transitional law for a referendum on the document is no later than October 15.
| I hope the Kurds don't give too much away on that one. They've set up a functioning economy by not spending all their time arguing about religion and all their money building mosques. The idea of them picking up their marbles and leaving would be a good incentive for the rest of the country not to go to extremes. Our constitution works because of all the checks and balances, so they should put as many in theirs as they can get away with, without grinding everything to a halt. |
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