Monday, Aug 22, 2005
The Iraqi parliament has failed to agree on a draft constitution and will take a few more days to try to solve the impasse.
Parliament was adjourned at midnight on Monday night in Baghdad to get more time to try to win over the Sunni Arab minority.
Sunni support is key to ending the insurgency.
Negotiators representing majority Shiites, Kurds and Sunni Arabs finished the draft on Monday and prepared to submit it to parliament as the lawmakers convened minutes before midnight.
But they withdrew the draft in the final minutes because of fierce resistance over issues including federalism, which Sunnis fear could cut them out of most of the country's vast oil wealth.
The 15 Sunni Arab members of the drafting committee issued a statement early Tuesday saying they had rejected the constitution because the government and the committee did not abide by an agreement for consensus.
The main outstanding issues were federalism, the formation of federal units, problems related to mentioning the Baath Party in the constitution, and the division of powers between the president, the parliament and the Cabinet.
Repeated delays are an embarrassment for the Bush administration at a time of growing doubts within the United States over the mission in Iraq.
The first deadline to adopt a constitution expired a week ago, with parliament voting to extend it for seven days. The legislature supposedly had to disband if the deadline was not met, but lawmakers said nothing about that late Monday.
Shiites and Kurds have enough seats in parliament to win approval for a draft without the Sunni Arabs. But the Sunni minority could scuttle the constitution when voters decide whether to ratify it in the Oct. 15 referendum. Under current rules, the constitution would be defeated if it is opposed by two-thirds of the voters in three of Iraq's 18 provinces. Sunni Arabs form the majority in at least four provinces.
The Kurds demand federalism to protect their self-rule in three northern provinces. Sunni Arabs oppose that, fearing Kurds want to declare independence.
Shiites are divided, with factions supporting federalism wanting to build a Shiite region in the south.
BBC World News Service - LIVE - Click RealAudio - Stream
BBC World News Service - LIVE - Windows Media - Stream
Click Radio Taiwan International (English)
Live TV Coverage of Discovery Crew
Click LBC 1152 AM London News Radio
Israel News Radio, 0430 UTC - English
Israel News Radio, 2000 UTC - English
Radio Pakistan News Bulletins (English)
Voice of Russia, 0300 UTC - English
Voice of Russia, 0800 UTC - English
Radio China International, 1500 UTC - English
Radio Polonia, 1700 UTC - English
Radio Australia, 0700 UTC - English
The rules should be changed. 20% or less of the entire population should not be able to halt the country.