Posted on 03/08/2004 3:05:56 AM PST by William McKinley
Iraq's United States-appointed Governing Council have gathered to sign an interim constitution crucial to US plans to hand sovereignty back to Iraqis, after Shiite Muslim politicians withdrew their objections.
Sources close to the council's deliberations say it has passed a resolution to sign the constitution.
The signing of the constitution has been delayed twice.
The first delay was caused by bomb attacks on Shiites last Tuesday, which killed at least 181 people.
Then last-minute doubts among Shiites forced the abandonment of a high-profile ceremony on Friday.
Representatives of the five groups that backed out on Friday spent the weekend in the holy city of Najaf talking with top clerics, including Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who wields immense influence over Iraq's Shiite majority.
They announced yesterday that Ayatollah Sistani still has deep reservations about the document but has given them the go ahead to sign it, in the interests of advancing political transition.
Others present say the cleric would have liked to push for changes, but felt the furthest he could go was to make his objections clear and leave it up to the politicians to do what they felt necessary.
Under the US timetable, an Iraqi Government is to take over sovereignty on June 30 and elections for a transitional assembly are to be held by the end of January next year.
The main point of dispute had been a clause in the constitution that may allow Iraq's Kurdish minority to veto a planned permanent constitution if it does not enshrine their right to autonomy in three northern provinces.
The Kurds, who have ruled three provinces of northern Iraq since wresting them from Saddam Hussein's control after the 1991 Gulf war, had said that if the clause was not included they would not sign.
Bush and our warriors did a quick, bold decapitation of the most tyrannical regime on earth, and has a constitution for the freed people in one year.
Had Gore been president, Iraqi women would still be raped on their bridal altars by Uday, al Qaeda would still train its hijackers at Salman Pak, and the whole torture chamber-execution-mass burial apparatus would still be roaring unchecked.
Yet Kerry's rhetorical flatulence is met by a fawning press as incense and brilliance.
The Old Media is as dead as the Ba'athist Party.
We'll look back on this year as a great year for freedom and human rights around the world, Phil.
The Iraqi people (and the enemies of freedom) now know Iraqis are capable of governing themselves, without a cruel tyrant calling the shots, able to put aside their many differences and unite for a common cause on this day...and if they can do it today, they can do it tomorrow.
It is a very good day for the good guys.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.