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| Iraqis Say They Will Miss Deadline for Constitution |
| 2004-02-28 |
| Iraq’s interim leaders said Saturday evening that they would not be able to complete work on a temporary constitution by the end of the day, the deadline they had set. Earlier in the day, the leaders of the main Shiite political parties put off a scheduled meeting with the rest of the Iraqi Governing Council until the Shiites first tried to resolve differences of their own. The broader meeting took place later, at 7 p.m. Someone needs some project management training. They didn’t know until the last hour of the last day that they couldn’t meet the deadline? On Friday, the Shiite parties walked out of a similar meeting. The to-ing and fro-ing exposed the deep rifts among the Iraqi leaders trying to establish a framework for the government. The 25-member Governing Council has been able to reach agreement on several aspects of the proposed constitution, but members evidently are far apart on several issues, including the degree of autonomy that should be granted the Kurdish people and the proper role of Islam in public life. People present at the negotiations said that the council members had begun to go through a final draft of the constitution, but that they had agreed to just a small number of articles. Rowsch Shways, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, told the Reuters news agency that the council members had taken up the first of nine proposed articles in the constitution. In an agreement last year, Iraqi and American leaders set for themselves this deadline for completing the interim constitution, which would serve as the framework for the government once the Iraqis take control of the country from the Americans on June 30. The temporary constitution would stay in place until nationwide elections could held for a national assembly and a permanent constitution can be written, presumably next year. Missing the deadline does not mean that the June transfer will be missed. Some of the council members were saying that they needed perhaps a few more days to reach an agreement. Although described as an interim constitution, the document being debated is likely to have a large influence on the permanent constitution, and therefore the stakes are high, council members on all sides say. The draft circulating among the Iraqi leaders is remarkably progressive by the standards of Iraq’s history and those of the Arab world. It contains an extensive bill of rights that guarantees the freedom of speech, assembly and religion. That’s best news so far on the direction of Iraq’s future. But they’re still debating the women’s issues. But outstanding issues do cut to the heart of Iraq’s identity. People involved in the negotiations say there is no agreement on the role of Islam in the future government. While some council members want to cite Islam as "a primary source" for legislation, several Islamist parties, including the Shiite groups, insist that Islam be named as "the primary source" for legislation. And this is still worrisome. The chief American administrator here, L. Paul Bremer III, has threatened to veto any constitution setting up an Islamic republic, a threat that some of the more Islamist members of the council wish to challenge. Another disagreement is over the degree of autonomy to be granted to the Kurds. The draft circulating Saturday called for a sharp curtailment of Kurdish autonomy, including a disbandment of the militia force. Kurdish negotiators were said to be balking. Participants say there is also discord about a proposal to set up a government led by three presidents and one more important prime minister whom the three would appoint. Some groups, like the Kurds, are worried about the powers that would be granted to the prime minister, who would most likely be drawn from the party of the Shiite majority. Trioka? Now where have I heard that before? A final conflict, negotiators said, was over the role of women. Early drafts called for a 40 percent quota for women in the national assembly, but many leaders prefer that as a target, not a quota. Send hillary to mediate. :) It was this dispute that set off the walkout of the Shiites on Friday. At that meeting of the Iraqi Governing Council, a majority of the council members, led by two women, agreed to repeal a two-month-old bill giving clerics an oversight for marriage and family disputes. Mr. Bremer had refused to sign that law, but the Shiites made a show of strength and |
| Posted by:GK |
| #1 I misplaced a comment germane to this article over under Iran - apologies, though it probably doesn't matter, anyway, heh. ;-) |
| Posted by: .com 2004-2-29 12:10:52 AM |