Iraq constitution body in turmoil

BAGHDAD – Four Sunni Arabs on the team charged with writing Iraq’s constitution suspended their membership yesterday after the killing of three colleagues, a move that could delay the drafting of the landmark charter.

Tuesday’s assassinations struck a blow to the constitution-writing body, seen as providing a chance for a political end to the insurgency, and Wednesday’s move is likely to further hinder its work. A draft constitution is due by mid-August.”The environment in Iraq isn’t right for anyone to get work done,” said Salih al-Mutlaq, a spokesman for the Iraqi National Dialogue, a Sunni Arab organisation, in explaining why the group’s representatives had suspended their membership.In the latest violence, a bomber strapped with explosives blew himself up among a group of Iraqi army recruits at a Baghdad airfield on Wednesday, killing six people and wounding 25, police and hospital workers said.Another official on the constitutional body said all Sunni Arabs – 15 in all – had suspended their membership, but there was no confirmation of that.The committee was due to hold a news conference later on yesterday.Drawing Sunni Arabs onto the body was the cornerstone of the US-backed strategy to persuade members of the restive minority to move from the streets into peaceful politics.Hours before Tuesday’s killings, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said he hoped the draft constitution could be ready early – by the end of this month – if Sunni concerns could be addressed quickly.Extra Sunni members joined the committee last month, making it the first nationwide political body to include significant Sunni Arab representation since the new government, led by Shi’ites and Kurds, took office in April.There had been hope the committee could produce a document to be pitched to the public in a national referendum in October.If the document is drafted on time and approved by voters, it will be used to determine what sort of government emerges from elections due in December.Yesterday, the New York Times reported that one draft of the constitution would give added prominence to Islamic law, restricting the rights of women when it comes to issues such as inheritance and divorce.Members of the committee said, however, there were many different drafts in circulation and no wording was finalised.- Nampa-ReutersA draft constitution is due by mid-August.”The environment in Iraq isn’t right for anyone to get work done,” said Salih al-Mutlaq, a spokesman for the Iraqi National Dialogue, a Sunni Arab organisation, in explaining why the group’s representatives had suspended their membership.In the latest violence, a bomber strapped with explosives blew himself up among a group of Iraqi army recruits at a Baghdad airfield on Wednesday, killing six people and wounding 25, police and hospital workers said.Another official on the constitutional body said all Sunni Arabs – 15 in all – had suspended their membership, but there was no confirmation of that.The committee was due to hold a news conference later on yesterday.Drawing Sunni Arabs onto the body was the cornerstone of the US-backed strategy to persuade members of the restive minority to move from the streets into peaceful politics.Hours before Tuesday’s killings, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said he hoped the draft constitution could be ready early – by the end of this month – if Sunni concerns could be addressed quickly.Extra Sunni members joined the committee last month, making it the first nationwide political body to include significant Sunni Arab representation since the new government, led by Shi’ites and Kurds, took office in April.There had been hope the committee could produce a document to be pitched to the public in a national referendum in October.If the document is drafted on time and approved by voters, it will be used to determine what sort of government emerges from elections due in December.Yesterday, the New York Times reported that one draft of the constitution would give added prominence to Islamic law, restricting the rights of women when it comes to issues such as inheritance and divorce.Members of the committee said, however, there were many different drafts in circulation and no wording was finalised.- Nampa-Reuters