BAGHDAD, Iraq – A new draft constitution meant to transform Iraq into a loose federal union sparked celebrations Tuesday in the streets of the Shiite south and an angry rally in the Sunni Arab heartland, where some chanted for the return of Saddam Hussein.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who was called instrumental by all sides in prodding the constitution toward completion, defended it against complaints that it gave Islamic law too much power, particularly over women. Khalilzad said the draft was “right for Iraq at the present time.”
| The latest identifications reported by the military of U.S. personnel killed in Iraq: Army Sgt. Willard Partridge, 35, Ferriday, La.; killed Saturday in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle; assigned to the 170th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Fort Lewis. |
Shiite leaders submitted the draft to the National Assembly before a midnight Monday deadline, but agreed to put off an assembly vote until Thursday. Many Sunni Arabs expressed outrage that the deal reached by the Shiites and their Kurdish allies overrode Sunni Arab objections to a federal system that Sunnis say would divide Iraq. But the Shiites made clear Tuesday that they intended to make no major concessions to the Sunnis.
“During coming days, we will have a dialogue to convince them, in fact, that federalism is not to divide Iraq,” said Humam Hamoudi, the Shiite chairman of the constitutional committee.
Many Sunni Arabs want Iraq to remain under a strong central government. Sunnis dominated Iraq until the overthrow of Saddam in 2003, and extremists among them make up the bulk of Iraq’s insurgency. Sunnis overwhelmingly boycotted national elections in January, leaving them with little political clout as Iraq writes its new constitution. Many fear federalism will complete their marginalization, stranding them in a weak, resource-poor region between the Kurdish north and Shiite southwest.
In the latest political violence, a suicide bomber in the central city of Baqouba killed four Iraqi government employees, an Iraqi police officer, a U.S. soldier and an American contractor. A military statement said the bomber blew himself up in an Iraqi-U.S. coordination office.
The Marines reported that roadside bombs killed two Marines, one Sunday near Karmah, about 50 miles west of Baghdad, and one Monday near Fallujah, about 35 miles west of Baghdad.
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