Iraqi Shiites to Sign Constitution

www.washingtonpost.com ^ | By Rajiv Chandrasekaran

[bogdanPolska12]

BAGHDAD, March 7 -- Shiite Muslim political leaders who had refused to sign the country's interim constitution said Sunday they would approve the document without changes on Monday despite concerns voiced by the country's top Shiite cleric.

The reversal appeared to end an embarrassing deadlock over a U.S.-backed document that is designed to prepare Iraq for self-government and enshrine broad protections for individual rights. Officials with Iraq's Governing Council said they hoped to convene a signing ceremony on Monday, resurrecting an event that was canceled on Friday after five Shiite leaders balked at the last minute.

A few hours after the Shiite leaders announced their willingness to sign, a car bomb and at least seven rockets exploded a block away from the Baghdad conference center where the ceremony is scheduled to occur. The attack, which injured one person but otherwise caused minimal damage, appeared aimed at Rashid Hotel and the Foreign Ministry building. Both structures are near the edge of the Green Zone, a high-security swath of the capital that houses the headquarters of the U.S. occupation authority.

The Shiite politicians agreed to change their position after meeting with the cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, in the holy city of Najaf. In refusing to sign the document on Friday, the politicians said Sistani had rejected two provisions in the interim constitution, one that would give ethnic Kurds effective veto power over a permanent constitution and another that would establish a single president under the transitional administration.

[cardinal4]

Less than a year after hostilities commenced in Baghdad, the Iraqis are ready to sign a Constitution. I thought it was a quagmire?

[SubMareener]

This was a test, by the Shiites, of whether we were really willing to let the Iraqis be Iraqis. It looks as if we passed the test. All indications are that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has a good head on his shoulders, and a very well developed political sense of the situation. He seems to have settled into the Ben Franklin role in this little drama. ;-)

[bogdanPolska12]

Step by step we are winning this war. Bump for USA forces and President.

[OpusatFR]

"The reversal appeared to end an embarrassing deadlock over a U.S.-backed document..."

They can't give an inch, can they? And the journos wonder why the bulk of the people are not listening...

Embarrassing is editorializing, not reporting....

[bogdanPolska12]

I was about to post my comment with that line. It must be terrible thing to be liberal. Well we know when job is well done when liberals complain and whine.

[FRgal4u]

I agree, for some reason, i trust this grand Ayatollah. I think he has the best interest for the Iraqis at heart. I am more worry about the necons in our administration in pushing too far of our own agendas over the Iraqis. We can't dictate what the Iraqi constitution is like nor we should mucking it up. Imagine our own constitution is dictate by the Brits or the French two centuries ago. It just won't work. We got to trust the Iraqis and give them a real sense of ownership by a broad election ASAP. jmho.

[EGPWS]

Less than a year after hostilities commenced in Baghdad, the Iraqis are ready to sign a Constitution. I thought it was a quagmire?

Could there possibly be ANYONE who is deeply saddened by this good news, stateside?

[truth_seeker]

"We can't dictate what the Iraqi constitution is like nor we should mucking it up."

BS. We DICTATED to Germany and Japan, their constitutions (essentially our model), and that worked. They wound up the 2nd and 3rd largest economies, in the world.

You can bet we have tried to influence these arab/muslims to try a constitution that we suggest--like our own.

A lot has been said about Iraqis being well educated, good at business, etc. Add in oil and good government, and they have a chance to be an example of how democracy could work in the region.

With so many advantages, the big question will be whether their heretige of islam and arab allow for successful, modern self-government.

[SubMareener]

Trust, but verify, is what we are about in this action. The folks involved in this are really doing an outstanding job.

[moonman]

I aghee!

[Clintonfatigued]

This is a relief. And it should shut up the 'Rats critisism for the fact that things didn't finish perfectly immediately. An Iraq without Saddam Hussein should be a good thing.

[cardinal4]

Well we know when job is well done when liberals complain and whine.

Good point, the shriller they get, the more confident I get in W's reelection bid..

[bogdanPolska12]

Nothing will shut 'Rats. They don't like when USA succeeds. Look at this kangaroo idiot Kerry. I gave up on trying understanding what liberals are for. It irks me. I like good rational conversation. With liberals only conversation you have is what they are against at not what they are. And they are nothing more but trolls, leftist arrogant people