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Iraq Insurgency Shows No Signs of Slowdown By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq -- With the grim milestone of the 2,000th U.S. military death looming in Iraq, many wonder about the direction of the insurgency that killed most of them. Experts think the country's increasingly regional-oriented politics will fuel the insurgency and even spread it further inside Iraq. Others put forward a simple, disquieting scenario: So long as U.S. and other foreign troops remain in Iraq, the insurgency will continue. "It will become more chaotic," predicted Magnus Ranstorp of the Swedish National Defense College in Stockholm, Sweden. "It...

Indications crucial Iraqi province leaning toward 'yes' vote Sunni-majority provinces play major role in fate of draft constitution Saturday, October 22, 2005; Posted: 1:18 p.m. EDT (17:18 GMT) BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Voters in Diyala province -- the district north of Baghdad with a majority Sunni Arab population -- are backing the country's draft constitution, according to early figures released from last week's referendum on the law. This is a significant development because of the Sunni Arab opposition to the proposed constitution, and a good sign for those who support the legal document, which has widespread backing from Shiites and...

Turnout by province in Iraq's Oct. 15 referendum on a new constitution as reported by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq. Countrywide, 9,775,000 Iraqis voted, about 63 percent of registered voters. the commission said. Turnout percentages from January's parliament elections, when total turnout was 60 percent, are in parenthesis where available for comparison. Anbar (west, Sunni Arab): 32 Babil (south, mostly Shiite): 72 (71) Baghdad (central, mixed): 56 Basra (south, mostly Shiite): 63 (48) Dahuk (north, Kurdish): 85 (89) Dhi Qar (south, Shiite): 54 (67) Diyala (northeast, slim Sunni Arab majority, large Shiite and Kurdish minorities): 66 (34) Irbil (north,...

Iraqi men and women come to polling places to cast their vote on the constitutional referendum. Scenes include men and women walking to the polling places, people walking out of the polling places, guards at the polling places, men and women dipping their finger in ink, men and women placing their ballots in the box, men and women getting their ballots. Watch Video

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2005 – Increased numbers of Iraqi security forces and government-implemented precautions combined to thwart insurgents' desire to stop the Iraqi Oct. 15 constitutional referendum, a senior U.S. military officer said today in Baghdad. Roughly 63 percent of registered voters -- about 10 million Iraqis -- went to the polls to vote on a new constitution, Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said. Officials reported "a significant reduction in the number of attacks" during the referendum compared to during the Jan. 30 elections, Lynch said. For example, he said, there were 299 attacks...

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq (Oct. 20, 2005) -- Dawn broke over Iraq to empty, silent streets Oct. 15. A lone bus cruised down an empty street. As it dragged to a halt the door opened and a handful of Iraqi citizens boarded. Their destination: one of the many polling sites across the country where the Iraqi people would vote on the draft Iraqi Constitution. Second Marine Division and Iraqi Security Forces wrapped up Operation Liberty Express this week, which provided security for 139 polling sites throughout Al Anbar province during the Iraqi Constitutional Referendum. The results of the...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Oct. 18, 2005 ) -- As statues of Saddam Hussein fell across Iraq, he watched from a television, safe in Glendale, Ariz. Then, he volunteered his safety and freedom to serve with the Marines in Iraq and to help bring freedom and democracy to his homeland. Gaby Biroutta, an interpreter with 1st Brigade Service Support Group, has been in Iraq for more than seven months, bridging the crucial communication gap between Marines and the citizens of Iraq. Biroutta, an Assyrian Christian whose family fled Iraq while Saddam’s regime was in power, speaks English, Arabic, Assyrian, Armenic, Kurdish...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Oct. 18, 2005 ) -- Marines from throughout 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) put their regularly duties on hold and took an active role in safely transporting Iraqi poll workers during the Iraqi Constitution referendum. Operation Liberty Express ended Oct. 18, as the successful Iraqi poll workers and the cast ballots flew out of Al Asad, Iraq, and into history. The Marines, who spent days and nights making sure the vote was able to happen safely were finally able to get some rest. “First couple of nights we worked for 18 straight hours,” said Staff Sgt. William...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Final results from Iraq's landmark referendum on a new constitution will likely not be announced until Friday at the earliest because of delays getting counts to the capital and a wide-ranging audit of an unexpectedly high number of "yes" votes, election officials said. The returns have raised questions over the possibility of irregularities in the balloting. With the delays, the outcome of the crucial referendum will remain up in the air possibly into next week, at a time when the government had hoped to move public attention to a new milestone: the start of the trial of...

On Oct. 15, Iraqis demonstrated that their desire to determine the future through the ballot box was the rule rather than the exception. Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen; Sunnis, Shiites and Christians--all braved threats of violence to vote. The vast majority voted in favor of the constitution. But whatever their positions, Iraqis considered their decision carefully. The referendum campaign was active. Dueling commercials and newscasts sought to sway the Iraqi vote. Such is the nature of politics in a country no longer subject to state-controlled media.Some read the constitution. They voted for or against federalism. Some marked their ballot on the...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2005 – U.S military forces in Iraq are staying on the offensive after completing security operations in support of that country's landmark, Oct. 15 constitutional referendum, officials said. Coalition forces reportedly killed several terrorists in a raid on a terrorist safe house in Karabilah, in western Iraq, on Oct. 16. The raid was part of a large-scale anti-terrorist operation that, apparently, had multiple intelligence sources. The safe house was being used to attack local Iraqi citizens, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces, officials said. When they arrived at the suspected safe house, coalition forces reportedly were engaged...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2005 – Officials are counting the votes in Iraq's historic constitutional referendum and people are asking whether the people of Iraq have accepted or rejected their new constitution. But to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, the results of yesterday's referendum are less important than the fact that Iraq had a highly successful and relatively peaceful election in which the Sunnis participated in very large numbers. "Whatever happens with the referendum ... the Iraqi people clearly are taking advantage of the political process to make their views known, and that's bad...

In the middle of the War on Terror, October 15 was a great achievement of the United States, but above all an Iraqi victory. If we divide the number of US soldiers who died in the conflict till October 15, we'd realize that for each fallen hero, 4,500 Iraqi voters were given the right to vote against Terror. In the global conflict with Jihadism, U.S. efforts and sacrifices are triggering greater resources against the empire projected by Ayman Thawahiri and Usama Bin Laden.

Iraq's constitutional referendum marks a significant step forward Three years ago to the day, millions of Iraqis voted. There was only one name on the ballot paper. Saddam Hussein had summoned his subjects under pressure from the build-up of allied forces on his border. After the ballots were “counted�, Saddam claimed 100 per cent of the vote and awarded himself a new seven-year presidential term. That was the last time Iraqis voted in a referendum. Until Saturday. The vote on Iraq’s draft constitution was a triumph on many levels. Men and women dressed in best suits and neatly pressed veils,...

We won again! For a second time, the Iraqi people proved the Western mainstream media, Islamist radicals, self-righteous and nihilistic war protestors, disaffected Democrats, and neo-isolationists wrong: the referendum on the new constitution was successful. The Sunni minority participated in the polling and those among them voting "no" were swamped by the positive outcome. Iraq will have its new constitution. The transforming intervention led by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair will succeed. The global sweep of bourgeois revolution will continue, centering on Iraq's neighbors: monarchical Saudi Arabia, statist Syria, and theocratic Iran. But how long will...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush returned to the White House a few hours ago, where the President made a short statement about the Iraqi vote yesterday. THE PRESIDENT: On behalf of the American people, I'd like to congratulate the people of Iraq for the successful completion of a vote on their draft constitution. By all indications, the turnout was greater than the turnout from the last January election, which is good news. By all indications, the Sunnis participated in greater numbers in this election than last time. And that's good news. After all, the purpose of...

Rice optimistic about Iraq referendum Five U.S. soldiers killed in roadside bombing Sunday, October 16, 2005; Posted: 9:34 a.m. EDT (13:34 GMT) BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- As election workers in Iraq counted millions of paper ballots cast in the constitutional referendum, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday the measure "had probably passed" but cautioned she didn't know the final outcome. Rice told reporters traveling with her in London that she had spoken Sunday with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and her comments were based on "the assessment of people on the ground." "There is a belief that...

BAGHDAD - Sunni Arabs voted in surprisingly high numbers on Iraq's new constitution Saturday, many of them hoping to defeat it in an intense competition with Shiites and Kurds over the shape of the nation's young democracy after decades of dictatorship. With little violence, turnout was more than 66 percent in the three most crucial provinces. The constitution still seemed likely to pass, as expected. But the large Sunni turnout made it possible that the vote would be close or even go the other way, and late Saturday it appeared at least two of a required three provinces might reject...

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (search) was not among the Iraqi detainees who cast ballots Thursday on the proposed Iraqi constitution, as U.S. and Iraqi forces stepped up security across the country to impede insurgent attacks aimed at derailing Saturday's referendum.Non-convicted detainees, including Saddam, whose trial is set to begin Oct. 19, were allowed to cast votes Thursday but the former leader was not among those voting, Judge Nadham Farhan of the Iraqi Special Tribunal told FOX News. The reason for his abstaining was not immediately known.The rest of Iraq was scheduled to vote on Saturday, ...

I recently tried to estimate relative levels of support for Iraqi terrorists and for the constitutional process. My estimate was that participators in the constitutional process outnumbered supporters of terrorism by at least four to one. This was calculated from the lowest end estimate of turnout in the election, around 50%. If the turnout was nearer 60%, as seems likely, then the margin is more like eight to one. The national turnout in yesterday's referendum is not yet known. It is clear, however, that in Sunni areas, where turnout in the election was worryingly low, turnout in the referendum was...

TIKRIT, Iraq, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Iraq's Salahaddin province, one of at least three with a Sunni Arab majority that might combine to veto the draft constitution, voted "No" by 70 percent in Saturday's referendum, an electoral official said on Sunday. The results were not final and were subject to further counts, electoral officials said. "The 'No' percentage is 70 percent," Electoral Commission official Saleh Khalil Farraj said in the provincial capital Tikrit, hometown of Saddam Hussein. "Turnout is 80 percent." The head of the national Electoral Commission in Baghdad, Hussein al-Hendawi, said he was unaware such figures had...

LONDON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday that Iraqis had probably approved a U.S.-backed draft constitution in a historic referendum, a vote she said could reduce insurgent violence. "Most people assume on the ground that it probably has passed," Rice told reporters during a visit to London. Rice hailed the turnout, particularly in Sunni Arab areas, where she said there had been a large increase in voter numbers compared to parliamentary elections in January. Basing her figures on reports from officials in Iraq, the top U.S. diplomat said the overall turnout was about 63-64 percent,...

Bush touts Iraq vote; Democrats want clear U.S. strategy Both see hope in poll on draft constitution Saturday, October 15, 2005; Posted: 11:17 a.m. EDT (15:17 GMT) (CNN) -- Calling Saturday's constitutional referendum "a critical step forward in Iraq's march toward democracy," President Bush said the vote will "deal a severe blow to the terrorists" striking out at the struggling democratic system. A leading Democrat, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, sent out a cautionary message about the larger context of what he says is expected to a "large turnout for the referendum: While it "seems to be an important step" for...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2005 – With the Iraq constitutional referendum just days away, Iraqi security and coalition forces are taking steps to establish safe and secure conditions so all citizens can participate in the democratic process, a senior military official told reporters in Baghdad Oct. 12. The official, speaking on background, assured Iraqis they "can be confident in the abilities of the more than 200,000 Iraqi security forces to protect them" when they go to the polls Oct. 15. Despite the spike in violence predicted for the days leading up to the referendum, violence is actually down compared to last...

If Woody Hayes were the prime minister of Iraq, the constitutional referendum scheduled for next Sunday might never be held. The legendarily bad-tempered Ohio State football coach disdained the forward pass because he judged the promise of quick gain to be overshadowed by the risk of failure. He said, concisely, that "When you throw a pass, only three things can happen and two of them are bad." Because the Iraqi referendum is a long pass into heavy defensive coverage, Coach Hayes's description of the risk is decidedly apt. But the decision to throw it is entirely correct because if it...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2005 – Coalition and Iraqi security forces are committed to providing a secure environment for Iraqis to participate in the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum, and they have the abilities to do so, a military spokesman in Baghdad said today. In a news briefing, Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said officials predict significant acts of violence between now and the referendum, but that coalition and Iraqi forces are prepared to combat them. "We are poised and ready for a safe and secure environment for the people of Iraq for the conduct of...

Iraq parliament votes not to change referendum rules BAGHDAD, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament voted on Wednesday not to change controversial new rules on an upcoming referendum, handing a snub to the United Nations which had said the rules were unfair and not up to international standards. In a floor vote, 119 of the 147 members present, a quorum, voted not to review the rule changes that were made in a parliamentary session on Sunday. Those changes made it next to impossible for the Oct. 15 referendum to fail by demanding that two thirds of registered voters in...

FOB WARRIOR, Iraq (Army News Service, Sept. 27, 2005) — Iraqi security and coalition force leaders met Sept. 21 at the Iraqi Army’s K1 training facility near Kirkuk to rehearse security plans for the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum election. Organizations represented at the security plan walk-through included the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police Services, Independent Election Commission—Iraq, Iraqi emergency services and coalition forces. The rehearsal included a military-style “rock drill” where each participant was allowed to rehearse the plan using a large graphical representation of the area laid out on an auditorium floor. “We are helping them set up their rock...

Crime-hit Brazil split over possible gun sales ban RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro taxi driver Luiz Marcelo is normally mild mannered, but he loses his temper when Brazil's upcoming referendum on whether gun sales should be banned comes up in a conversation. "All you see around us in the streets is crime, and the best they can think of is to disarm honest citizens like me and you," the 50-year-old almost shouts. "I have a gun at home and another one in this car and I'm not giving them up." Many Brazilians share this view, saying...

Federalist European leaders insisted last night that the EU constitution had risen from the dead after voters in the tiny Grand Duchy of Luxembourg approved it in a referendum. The Yes camp won by 56 to 44 per cent, making Luxembourg the 13th country to ratify the constitution. A majority of the European Union's 25 nations have now ratified the treaty, noted the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, with "great satisfaction". Many Luxembourg voters had voiced irritation at being asked to vote on a constitution already rejected at the polls in France and Holland, predicting that the...

Latin America: Since 9-11, the U.S. has tried to spread democracy not by buying candidates, but by encouraging civic institutions. It's in everyone's interest. One country, however, wants to throw someone in jail for it. Today an outrageous court hearing will take place in Caracas, Venezuela. Organizers of last year's recall referendum against President Hugo Chavez are facing potential charges of treason. Their crime? Taking a U.S. National Endowment for Democracy grant to advance democracy. It's not just political revenge from a victorious Chavez. It's also an attack on civic institutions and, if successful, opens the door to dictatorship and...

Eight million at the voting booths, sixteen million at Mass. The sixteen million were boycotting the referendum... And by doing this, they were upholding a law which places some moral restrictions on IVF...[It]forbids the production of an excessive number of embryos, embryonic selection, their use and elimination, and recourse to fertilization outside of the couple. This grassroots mobilization of the Catholic world received little national media coverage, but it was responsible in great part for the result of the June 12-13 referendum. For example, Radio Maria, which is directed by Fr. Lino Fanzaga and counts six million faithful listeners, began...

Referendum on Arnold Another embattled governor staggers toward an election he doesn’t really want Like two wounded and vulnerable antagonists, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democrats have taken their intermittent knife fight to a new and more intense level with the scheduling of yet another California special election, the second in three years, this one for November 8. The stage is now set for a massive statewide clash of interests, largely business versus labor, fed by more than $100 million of campaign spending. “You the people will be heard,” declared Schwarzenegger in calling a special election that polls show most Californians...

Opponents of same-sex marriage will announce tomorrow an initiative petition to put a constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot in 2008 that would ban such marriages, lawmakers and activists involved said yesterday. Activists and strategists familiar with the effort to ban same-sex marriage, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they believe their proposed amendment would have a better chance of winning approval because it contains simpler language that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, without mentioning civil unions.

Per Stig Moeller wants a clear advice on the future of the treaty Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller has suggested that his country's referendum on the EU constitution may be called off.Danes had been due to take part in a legally binding vote on 27 September, but the re-think follows the French and Dutch rejection of the treaty. Mr Moeller said he did not expect EU leaders meeting this week to give a clear answer on the fate of the text. The charter has been ratified by 10 of the 25 member states so far. EU foreign ministers...

ROME (Reuters) - A referendum intended to dismantle Italy's strict law on assisted fertility was doomed to fail on Monday due to low turnout, in what was widely seen as a victory for the Roman Catholic Church. About 25 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot during the two days of voting that ended on Monday afternoon, according to partial results -- leaving the referendum far short of the quorum of 50 percent plus one. Bishops had urged a boycott of the poll and priests had used pulpits to rally the faithful behind the slogan: "Life cannot be put to...

Britain's referendum on the EU constitution is to be shelved after Dutch voters dealt a devastating blow to the treaty, sources have said.Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will announce on Monday that the Bill paving the way for the British vote is to be put on hold indefinitely. The referendum - planned for early next year - cannot go ahead without the Bill which was unveiled in the Queen's Speech. Foreign Office sources said Mr Straw would effectively suspend the referendum indefinitely. He is unlikely to put any timescale on events. The move comes after the Dutch overwhelmingly rejected the constitution...

Many thought that the European Union's proposed constitution was easily be ratified in left-leaning France, but something happened on the way to the Bastille. The referendum was rejected by a ten percent margin, 55% to 45%. Whie this might not seem like a big deal, this really throws a wrench into the plans for a unified Europe. Either the referendum has to be voted on by the people, or by a vote of parliment. Obviously the Frenchies thought their people would be all for becoming one with the rest of Europe, but the votes tell a different story.

AMONG the Wayampi Indians it is not uncommon for children to give birth at 10 and become grandparents in their twenties. They hunt and fish in red loincloths. Their favourite food is smoked alligator. They are also among Europe’s most civic-minded citizens. Britain has the Pitcairn islands and the Dutch have West Indian Curaçao, but these cannot compete with the impressive French portfolio of dominions around the globe from the Pacific to the Amazon jungle. Their 1.4m voters could swing the result in the closely fought May 29 French referendum on the European Union’s constitution and determine the future of...

Madison school district is holding a referendum to permanently exceed spending caps on Tuesday. But it was discovered late on Friday that the ballots were “misprinted”. They claim that they will have the ballots in the polling places corrected before the election, but there are 2200absentee ballots out there that are wrong and people may inadvertently vote the wrong way, and since those ballots have already been sent, there is no time to correct them. This election is expected to be very close, so these 2200 ballots may very well make a difference! This is liable to end up in...

PARIS -- Those French citizens who thought they would spend a quiet day at the Louvre this week have found themselves assaulted by German youths, dozens of them, intent on plying them with blue-and-yellow flags, heaps of literature and long, impassioned arguments. "I'm asking you, as fellow Europeans, to think about whether you want my people to retreat back into our old history," Hans-Stefan Stemmer, a 20-year-old Berlin university student, told a bewildered elderly couple in fluent French the other day in the museum's elegant courtyard. They declined his offer of European Union flags, but said they'd think about his...

Leaders back electoral reform Lindsay Kines and Jeff Rud Times Colonist Thursday, May 19, 2005 The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties have got the message: Voters want changes to the province's electoral system. In a rare show of harmony, Premier Gordon Campbell, NDP Leader Carole James and Green party Leader Adriane Carr agreed Wednesday that B.C. needs to keep working on the issue, even though a referendum on one suggested change failed to pass Tuesday. "There's a real hunger to move and look at ways of improving our system," Campbell said. "I've been a clear advocate of that...

In the recently completed 2005 legislative session, legislators enacted 98 bills with emergency clauses. An emergency clause serves two purposes: 1) bills adopted take effect immediately, and 2) the people are denied their right of referendum due to the purported emergency addressed by the bill. In addition to the 98 bills adopted with emergency clauses, even more bills started the session with emergency clauses (eventually stripped from final bill) and still more were proposed but did not receive final passage (such as HB 1608 – Creating the potato commission). Because Article 2, Section 1 of the Washington Constitution grants the...

Sun, May 1, 2005 Separatism fought on two fronts Even Clarity Act may not save Canada if Liberals win another election By Licia Corbella -- Calgary Sun Virtually every time Canada's near-brush with separation in 1995 is mentioned on television, the film clip of choice shows that now-famous enormous Canadian flag being moved along by eager helping hands belonging to a passionate pro-Canadian sea of humanity in Montreal. More than 150,000 people from across the country crammed into Place du Canada for what was called both the Unity Rally and the Crusade for Canada. It was a spontaneous outpouring of...

THE looming “catastrophe” of France and the Netherlands rejecting the European constitution is causing alarm in Brussels and apocalyptic warnings about the future of the European Union. Debate is raging about what to do if the French vote “no” on May 29, but there is a growing consensus that it would be a turning point, marking the end of 50 years of “ever closer union”, threatening the single currency and halting enlargement, particularly for Turkey. Some predict the EU’s fragmentation, with groups of member states increasingly banding together to pursue pet projects. Romano Prodi, the former European Commission President, said...

April 19, 2005 Chirac Cabinet tears itself apart over EU constitutionFrom Charles Bremner in Paris THE prospect of France rejecting the European constitution ignited a blazing Cabinet row yesterday after President Chirac signalled that he aims to sack Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the Prime Minister, whether the country votes “yes” or “no”. M Raffarin, whose unpopularity is deemed to be a big factor in the troubles of the “yes” campaign for the May 29 referendum, rounded on Dominique de Villepin, the Interior Minister and close ally of the President, over damning remarks that he made against his own Government. After a...

EU foreign ministers rally to save French referendum By Daniel Dombey in Brussels and Peggy Hollinger in Paris Published: April 17 2005 17:05 | Last updated: April 17 2005 17:05Europe's foreign ministers have rallied round the embattled French campaign for the European constitution, arguing that a No vote on the May 29 referendum would set back the European Union's drive to play a bigger part on the world stage. Many officials fear that a French rejection, which could prove terminal for the constitutional treaty, would also halt the EU's enlargement drive - sometimes dubbed "the most successful foreign policy...

When President Jacques Chirac made a crucial televised plea to his countrymen to approve the European Constitution this week, Fabrice Rognault, a French farmer, was too busy to watch."I was desperately filling in my application for this year's EU subsidy," he said. "I have to submit it in the next few days." For Mr Rognault, 39, the form will prove far more profitable than the crop from his smallholding in the rolling arable land of Champagne, where he is the first to admit that French farmers have been "the big winners from the European Union's common agricultural policy". He said:...

But Barnier expressed confidence that the French government could yet change voters ' minds despite new opinion polls confirming that most voters oppose the historic text, due to be put to the vote on May 29.                                   FRANCE WARNS NO PLAN B IF VOTERS REJECT EU CONSTITUTIONReceived Saturday, 16 April 2005 09:18:00 GMTLUXEMBOURG, April 16 (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier warned Saturday that Paris has no plan B if voters reject the EU constitution in a referendum next month, reiterating that a "no" would seriously weaken France.    But Barnier expressed confidence that the French government could yet change...

THREE MORE FRENCH POLLS GIVE LEAD TO OPPONENTS OF EU CONSTITUTION Received Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:16:00 GMT PARIS, April 5 (AFP) - France's National Assembly began a debate on the European Union's new constitution Tuesday, as three more opinion polls showed opponents winning the country's referendum on May 29. Over the last two weeks a total of nine surveys have put the "no" camp in front, at between 51 and 55 percent of voters. None has given the lead to supporters of the constitution. An Ipsos poll in Le Figaro newspaper Tuesday put opposition to the constitution at 52...