Joesoef
10-06-05, 07:44
Sunnis offered greater role in Iraqi politics
Thu Jun 9, 2005 12:53 PM ET
By Omar Anwar
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite-led government said on Thursday it would give representatives of the restive Sunni Arab minority a greater role in drafting the country's new constitution, but the offer fell short of Sunni demands.
Leading officials in the committee tasked with writing the constitution by Aug. 15 said the size of the committee would be expanded to 69 people from 55. The number of Sunni Arab members would be raised to 15 from two, giving them the same level of representation in the body as the Kurds.
The Sunnis, however, have demanded more. On Wednesday an alliance of Iraq's main Sunni Arab groups said they wanted 25 seats on the constitutional committee and would refuse to take part in drafting the document unless their demand was met.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani also spoke on Thursday of giving the Sunnis 25 seats but Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said there would be 14 extra places. That was in line with the comments by parliamentary officials directly involved in talks, who said 13 would go to Sunnis and one to another, small, sect.
Sunni Arabs dominated Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule but were sidelined by Jan. 30 elections which propelled Shi'ites and Kurds into power. Many Sunni Arab groups called for a boycott of the elections and most Sunni voters stayed away from the polls.
Iraq's government says it will offer Sunni Arabs more participation in politics to try to defuse sectarian tensions and undermine the Sunni-dominated insurgency.
"The idea is that Sunni Arabs get the same number of seats on the committee as the Kurds, which is 15. Sunnis already have two members, so we will add 13," Humam al-Hamoudi, head of the committee, told Reuters.
"The important thing is that the Sunnis are with us in every detail in drafting the constitution. It's in their and Iraq's interest that they are with us," he said.
Asked about the Sunni demand for 25 seats, he said: "This matter will be discussed. They say 25, and we will negotiate to solve this issue. We will continue to talk to them until they take part and are with us in every detail."
SECTARIAN TENSIONS
The decision of Iraq's main Sunni parties to end their boycott of the political process was a boost for Washington, which has been pressing for all of the country's religious and ethnic factions to work together in government.
A visiting European Union delegation, offering substantial aid, also threw its weight behind inclusion for the Sunnis.
But the row over seats on the constitutional committee could unravel Sunni Arabs' tentative engagement in politics.
Jaafari, a Shi'ite whose government's formation was met with a bloody wave of bombings in April and May, repeated he was ready to accept political opposition. Asked about reports of tentative discussions with insurgents, he said that those who renounced violence were welcome to join the political process.
As part of efforts to rebuild the country, the United States and EU are taking part in a conference in Brussels on June 22 to discuss security and reconstruction.
An EU delegation including British Foreign Minister Jack Straw and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner made an unannounced visit to Baghdad for talks about the conference.
Straw, whose government opened a major rift with EU partners such as France and Germany by joining the U.S. invasion of Iraq, said the first such EU visit to Baghdad was a sign of change.
"Europe was divided -- bitterly divided -- over the Iraq war but the fact of this delegation today ... underlines ... the commitment of the European Union to put the past behind us and work for the Iraqi people," he told a news conference.
Police in Baghdad said seven Iraqis were killed in an explosion on Wednesday night at a workshop suspected of being an insurgent bomb factory. All the seven dead were inside the workshop when it was destroyed by the blast, and police said a bomb appeared to have detonated prematurely.
A senior U.S. military official said on Thursday that crackdowns on insurgents over the past couple of weeks had curbed car bombings and violence, but warned there could be more major attacks this month. Iraqi forces backed by the U.S. army have launched an offensive to hunt guerrillas in Baghdad.
"Although I can't declare victory ... we think ... that's been successful in reducing the number of attacks, certainly in denying them the ability to sustain operations over a number of days," the military official told reporters.
Speaking of intelligence reports, he added, however: "They are looking for opportunities to have large-scale coordinated attacks around Baghdad. That could happen within a week -- if it happens ... It may injure many people."
(Additional reporting by Luke Baker and Alastair Macdonald in Baghdad)
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© Reuters 2005.
Thu Jun 9, 2005 12:53 PM ET
By Omar Anwar
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite-led government said on Thursday it would give representatives of the restive Sunni Arab minority a greater role in drafting the country's new constitution, but the offer fell short of Sunni demands.
Leading officials in the committee tasked with writing the constitution by Aug. 15 said the size of the committee would be expanded to 69 people from 55. The number of Sunni Arab members would be raised to 15 from two, giving them the same level of representation in the body as the Kurds.
The Sunnis, however, have demanded more. On Wednesday an alliance of Iraq's main Sunni Arab groups said they wanted 25 seats on the constitutional committee and would refuse to take part in drafting the document unless their demand was met.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani also spoke on Thursday of giving the Sunnis 25 seats but Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said there would be 14 extra places. That was in line with the comments by parliamentary officials directly involved in talks, who said 13 would go to Sunnis and one to another, small, sect.
Sunni Arabs dominated Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule but were sidelined by Jan. 30 elections which propelled Shi'ites and Kurds into power. Many Sunni Arab groups called for a boycott of the elections and most Sunni voters stayed away from the polls.
Iraq's government says it will offer Sunni Arabs more participation in politics to try to defuse sectarian tensions and undermine the Sunni-dominated insurgency.
"The idea is that Sunni Arabs get the same number of seats on the committee as the Kurds, which is 15. Sunnis already have two members, so we will add 13," Humam al-Hamoudi, head of the committee, told Reuters.
"The important thing is that the Sunnis are with us in every detail in drafting the constitution. It's in their and Iraq's interest that they are with us," he said.
Asked about the Sunni demand for 25 seats, he said: "This matter will be discussed. They say 25, and we will negotiate to solve this issue. We will continue to talk to them until they take part and are with us in every detail."
SECTARIAN TENSIONS
The decision of Iraq's main Sunni parties to end their boycott of the political process was a boost for Washington, which has been pressing for all of the country's religious and ethnic factions to work together in government.
A visiting European Union delegation, offering substantial aid, also threw its weight behind inclusion for the Sunnis.
But the row over seats on the constitutional committee could unravel Sunni Arabs' tentative engagement in politics.
Jaafari, a Shi'ite whose government's formation was met with a bloody wave of bombings in April and May, repeated he was ready to accept political opposition. Asked about reports of tentative discussions with insurgents, he said that those who renounced violence were welcome to join the political process.
As part of efforts to rebuild the country, the United States and EU are taking part in a conference in Brussels on June 22 to discuss security and reconstruction.
An EU delegation including British Foreign Minister Jack Straw and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner made an unannounced visit to Baghdad for talks about the conference.
Straw, whose government opened a major rift with EU partners such as France and Germany by joining the U.S. invasion of Iraq, said the first such EU visit to Baghdad was a sign of change.
"Europe was divided -- bitterly divided -- over the Iraq war but the fact of this delegation today ... underlines ... the commitment of the European Union to put the past behind us and work for the Iraqi people," he told a news conference.
Police in Baghdad said seven Iraqis were killed in an explosion on Wednesday night at a workshop suspected of being an insurgent bomb factory. All the seven dead were inside the workshop when it was destroyed by the blast, and police said a bomb appeared to have detonated prematurely.
A senior U.S. military official said on Thursday that crackdowns on insurgents over the past couple of weeks had curbed car bombings and violence, but warned there could be more major attacks this month. Iraqi forces backed by the U.S. army have launched an offensive to hunt guerrillas in Baghdad.
"Although I can't declare victory ... we think ... that's been successful in reducing the number of attacks, certainly in denying them the ability to sustain operations over a number of days," the military official told reporters.
Speaking of intelligence reports, he added, however: "They are looking for opportunities to have large-scale coordinated attacks around Baghdad. That could happen within a week -- if it happens ... It may injure many people."
(Additional reporting by Luke Baker and Alastair Macdonald in Baghdad)
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© Reuters 2005.