President Jalal Talabani said on Sunday Iraqâs draft constitution is ready to be put to an October 15 referendum despite the objections of Sunni Arabs which were downplayed by US President George W Bush. âThe draft constitution is ready and will be presented to the Iraqi people, who are known for their intelligence, to give their verdict on October 15,â Talabani told reporters. âThere are objections from our Sunni Arab brothers... but nobody can claim that they represent the whole spectrum of Sunni Arabs. If the nation rejects it, we will write another one.â
Bush hailed the draft constitution, calling it âan inspirationâ for supporters of democracy. âOf course thereâs disagreement. Weâre watching a political process unfold, a process thatâs encouraged debate and compromise,â he said from his Texas ranch. âWe recognise that there is a split amongst Sunnis,â he said. âSome Sunnis expressed reservations about provisions of the constitution. Thatâs their right ⊠It is important that all Iraqis engage in the constitutional process by debating the merits of this important document and making an informed decision on October 15.â
US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad called the charter âthe most progressive document of the Muslim worldâ. Negotiators agreed to 11th-hour changes in the text in a bid to win endorsement from Sunni Arabs, but the changes failed to bring the Sunnis on board. Shia negotiator Khudair al-Khozai acknowledged that just three of the 15 Sunni Arab members had turned up for the final meeting of the drafting committee. He said the late concessions made to the Sunnis had been âminor and do not affect the coreâ of the text. The principal stumbling block had been Shia demands for an autonomous region in Shia-majority areas of the centre and south like that of the Kurds in the north. Sunnis opposed the demand, fearing they would lose out in the distribution of oil revenues, given that the reserves lie almost entirely in the north or south.