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Sunnis pressured to OK Iraq constitution
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-08-14 11:58
BAGHDAD, Iraq - American and U.N. diplomats stepped up pressure Saturday on
Sunni Arabs to accept a new constitution with only two days before the deadline
for its approval. A top Sunni official said his group would never accept terms
that would lead to the division of the country, AP reported.
President Jalal Talabani predicted a draft constitution will be ready by
Monday's deadline, and a Kurdish official said the draft would be presented to
parliament with or without Sunni approval.
With time running out, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and U.N. envoy Ashraf
Qazi met separately with Sunni leaders but failed to persuade them to accept a
federal system.
"We will not be subdued and will continue to cling to our stance," Sunni
negotiator Kamal Hamdoun said. "We don't accept federalism ... We don't want
federalism. We are confident that federalism means division and federalism
cannot be approved at this time."
The final negotiations on the document — a key part of the political process
the U.S. is counting on to curb a Sunni-dominated insurgency — took place
against the backdrop of continuing violence.
Bombs and gunfights killed at least 12 people, and a U.S. armored vehicle was
set ablaze in eastern Baghdad. No American casualties were reported.
In his weekly radio address, President Bush said Saturday that the Iraqi
constitution "is a critical step on the path to Iraqi self-reliance."
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