Print

Mail

wiki links

Iraqi minister warns Sunnis on blocking constitution

"This constitution bears in it the germs of Iraq's division, the loss of its Arab identity and the plundering of its national wealth."

Excerpt from a statement signed by 21 Sunni groups

Sunni Arab groups have urged Iraqi voters to reject a draft constitution in a landmark referendum but Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warned that such a move could plunge the country into chaos.

"If the constitution is approved we can have elections in December and elect a government that is fully representative of the Iraqi people. The alternative would be complete chaos," Zebari told the Sunday Telegraph in London.

The campaign for Iraq's draft constitution suffered a blow Sat-urday when Sunni Arab groups urged voters in the Oct. 15 referendum to reject the charter, which they warned would lead to the country's break-up.

"This constitution bears in it the germs of Iraq's division, the loss of its Arab identity and the plundering of its national wealth," 21 Sunni organizations said in a joint statement.

"As a result, we call for all Iraqis to reject this constitution by all legitimate means," said the groups, which included the influential Committee of Muslim Scholars and the main Iraqi Islamic party.

Zebari, who was in London last week with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, argued that implementing the constitution would allow US-led coalition forces, which invaded in March 2003, to start planning for their eventual withdrawal.

Britain currently has 8,500 troops deployed mainly in southern Iraq, around the city of Basra.

The Iraqi foreign minister said: "The new government will be in a far better position to defeat the insurgency, which is still being orchestrated mainly by the Baathist remnants of the old regime."

"But with a new constitution and a new government, all Iraqis will have to reassess their relationship with the government. Noone will be able to question its legitimacy in the future," he said.

Many Sunni Arabs, who make up a fifth of Iraq's population, oppose the draft because of federal provisions they fear will weaken the country and lead to an unfair distribution of oil wealth.

The document will have to be rewritten if more than two-thirds of voters in at least three of Iraq's 18 provinces vote "No," something Sunni Arabs might be able to achieve.

They largely boycotted landmark elections in January, leaving power in the hands of majority Iraqi Shiites and Kurds, and make up a large part of the Iraqi insurgency that continues to take dozens of lives almost daily.
This story has been viewed 2693 times.