Post by Moses on Jan 11, 2006 20:44:10 GMT -5
January 11, 2006
Leading Shiite Rejects Making Changes to Iraqi Charter
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and QAIS MIZHER
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 11 - Iraq's most powerful Shiite leader today rejected making major changes to the new constitution, dealing a blow to Sunni Arab hopes of amending the charter to avoid being shut out of the nation's vast oil wealth.
Sunni Arabs were reluctant to sign on to the constitution last fall, fearing that provisions granting wide powers to autonomous regions would leave oil in the hands of Kurds in the north and Shiites in the south. The Sunnis dominate in western and much of northwestern and north-central Iraq, but the oil lies beneath Kurdistan and portions of southern Iraq that one day may be subsumed in a similar semi-independent region controlled by Shiites.
As a carrot for the Sunni Arabs, the constitution was amended before its successful October referendum so legislators elected in the national ballot last month could alter it with a two-thirds vote. Some Shiites also voiced a willingness to negotiate with Sunnis on amendments to the charter.
But today Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, vowed to give no ground on crucial portions of the constitution.
"We will stop anyone who tries to change the constitution," said Mr. Hakim, whose party has close ties to Iran. "Many of the people who voted for us were promised federalism in the south," he said, referring to the form of government allowing for semi-autonomous regions.
He said Kurds - who joined with Shiites to form the current ruling coalition - "agree with us about this condition, and we will continue our strategic coalition with our Kurdish brothers."
The speech was the latest hard-line statement by Mr. Hakim directed at Sunni Arabs, who Shiites accuse of fomenting violence to improve bargaining leverage in the new government. While Mr. Hakim previously signaled unwillingness to reopen major constitutional issues, his belligerent declarations are sure to anger Sunnis hopeful they can carve out a meaningful role in the government.
Yet it may not be that simple. While Sunni Arabs boycotted elections a year ago, they turned out heavily last month and are thought to have won around 20 percent of seats in the Iraqi parliament. A Western diplomat in Baghdad says Shiites and Kurds probably did not win enough seats on their own to reach the two-thirds majority needed to appoint an executive branch.
So while Shiites have enough votes to block constitutional changes, they may need to draw in parties other than the Kurds to obtain a two-thirds governing majority. And if Sunni Arabs are ultimately called on to make up that difference, amending the constitution is sure to be atop their bargaining list.
Desperate to deflate the Sunni-dominated insurgency, American officials are pushing Shiites to accept changes to the constitution. The American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, wrote in The Wall Street Journal on Monday that the charter "will likely need to be amended in the coming year to broaden support." He cited compromises "on some substantive issues such as federalization in Arab regions of Iraq."
Leading Shiite Rejects Making Changes to Iraqi Charter
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and QAIS MIZHER
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 11 - Iraq's most powerful Shiite leader today rejected making major changes to the new constitution, dealing a blow to Sunni Arab hopes of amending the charter to avoid being shut out of the nation's vast oil wealth.
Sunni Arabs were reluctant to sign on to the constitution last fall, fearing that provisions granting wide powers to autonomous regions would leave oil in the hands of Kurds in the north and Shiites in the south. The Sunnis dominate in western and much of northwestern and north-central Iraq, but the oil lies beneath Kurdistan and portions of southern Iraq that one day may be subsumed in a similar semi-independent region controlled by Shiites.
As a carrot for the Sunni Arabs, the constitution was amended before its successful October referendum so legislators elected in the national ballot last month could alter it with a two-thirds vote. Some Shiites also voiced a willingness to negotiate with Sunnis on amendments to the charter.
But today Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, vowed to give no ground on crucial portions of the constitution.
"We will stop anyone who tries to change the constitution," said Mr. Hakim, whose party has close ties to Iran. "Many of the people who voted for us were promised federalism in the south," he said, referring to the form of government allowing for semi-autonomous regions.
He said Kurds - who joined with Shiites to form the current ruling coalition - "agree with us about this condition, and we will continue our strategic coalition with our Kurdish brothers."
The speech was the latest hard-line statement by Mr. Hakim directed at Sunni Arabs, who Shiites accuse of fomenting violence to improve bargaining leverage in the new government. While Mr. Hakim previously signaled unwillingness to reopen major constitutional issues, his belligerent declarations are sure to anger Sunnis hopeful they can carve out a meaningful role in the government.
Yet it may not be that simple. While Sunni Arabs boycotted elections a year ago, they turned out heavily last month and are thought to have won around 20 percent of seats in the Iraqi parliament. A Western diplomat in Baghdad says Shiites and Kurds probably did not win enough seats on their own to reach the two-thirds majority needed to appoint an executive branch.
So while Shiites have enough votes to block constitutional changes, they may need to draw in parties other than the Kurds to obtain a two-thirds governing majority. And if Sunni Arabs are ultimately called on to make up that difference, amending the constitution is sure to be atop their bargaining list.
Desperate to deflate the Sunni-dominated insurgency, American officials are pushing Shiites to accept changes to the constitution. The American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, wrote in The Wall Street Journal on Monday that the charter "will likely need to be amended in the coming year to broaden support." He cited compromises "on some substantive issues such as federalization in Arab regions of Iraq."