Iraqi Constitution Talks Falter; Shiites Threaten to Bypass Sunnis

[Carla in Ca]

I think this failure will escalate the civil war that has been brewing. We have already seen evidence of it but I think we may begin to see a lot more. God help us. This administration MUST be removed...NOW!



By DEXTER FILKINS
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 25 - Talks over the Iraqi constitution reached a breaking point today, with Shiites leaders saying they had lost patience with a group of Sunni Arab negotiators and had decided to send the document straight to the Iraqi voters for their approval.

The dire situation brought the direct intervention of American officials, who pressed senior Shiite clerical leaders to help them broker a last-minute compromise. The decision by the Shiite leadership to bypass the Sunni Arabs provoked threats from the Sunnis that they would call on their people to reject the constitution when it goes before the voters in October.

Negotiations among the three leading Iraqi factions continued toward midnight, with some leaders saying they would make a last-ditch effort to strike a deal on Friday. But after so many days of fruitless talks, some senior political leaders suggested that time had run out.

"There are still some negotiations, but if we don't have any compromise, then that's it," said Sheik Khalid al-Atiyya, a Shiite member of the constitutional committee. "We will go to the election to vote on it."

snip...

The announcement that Parliament would miss the second extended deadline places the current government on uncertain legal authority. Under the rules that were agreed to last year, the National Assembly is obliged to dissolve itself and hold new elections if it is unable to reach agreement on the interim constitution.


MORE.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/international/middleeast/25cnd-iraq.html?ei=5094&en=a5b10e1b17cd4522&hp=&ex=1125028800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print>

[Selatius]

1. It's over.

Iraq is going to splinter at this rate.

[Carla in Ca]

3. This was the last best chance to get a grip on a 'war' gone wild.

I don't see anything good about this. There is no positive 'spin' for this. How dare they attempt to put the blame of a completely failed policy, not to mention the lies that got us there in the first place, on one mother. This anti-Cindy smearfest cannot continue to be the focal point.
We must find our voice!
This administration lied, failed and must be removed!

[pauldavid]

2. Sad to see but I knew this was coming

The Brits made a huge mistake when they drew a border around Iraq and 3 different ethnic groups.
(Iraq was carved out of the Ottoman Empire by the French and British as agreed in the Sykes-Picot Agreement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Iraq )

It took a strong arm man like Saddam (bad as he was) to keep the country in line. With out someone to scare them into line the three groups are going to fight each other. One of two things WILL happen. Iraq will split into 2 or three nations, or another Saddam will rise to power.

[Carla in Ca]

5. Yes, I agree

but in the mean time, soldiers and civilians are dying.
What more can we do here, now, to stop this insanity?
I attend a protest every Wednesday night in Orange. It is sponsored by Code Pink of OC. Time is 5:30 to 7:00 at the Orange Historical Plaza. Please, if you live in the area, come join us.

[pauldavid]

8. I've been to protests up and down the west coast.

Bush doesnt care about them 1 ounce. Look at how much he cares about what Cindy is doing. Keep up the hard work though. One day, our soldiers will come home. I only hope it's soon.

[Carla in Ca]

9. I appreciate what you are saying, I do

but I don't protest based on whether he cares or not. I'm trying to be a part of something that hopefully will grow as more people attend to try to make people see what is happening, and that something needs to be done about it.
Thanks for your words of encouragement, pauldavid!:-)

[Roland99]

4. I thought they reached an agreement on the Constitution today?

[Carla in Ca]

7. If true, that would be great

I haven't seen anything on it, but I'll keep checking.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. It would appear they didn't

Friday August 26, 06:25 AM Reuters

Iraq constitution negotiations to continue-speaker

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Negotiations on the wording of a draft constitution for Iraq did not conclude on Thursday as planned and will continue, the speaker of parliament, Hajim al- Hassani, told Reuters.

"Negotiations are still going on. Everybody was there," he said. "This is a good sign and we hope we will reach a result tomorrow night."

One senior negotiator from one of the government parties said, however, that he expected talks to continue beyond that, possibly until a meeting of parliament on Sunday.

Hassani, asked if one more day was enough to reach a deal that would satisfy most parties, said: "I don't know. I can't tell. The constitution is a very important and sensitive issue."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/050825/15/vo13.html

[Roland99]

11. New Constitution on Friday news dump day?

I'm sure the Propagandist scheduled it to be signed while on his Propaganda Tour '05 (2nd leg) so he tout the march of freedom or something.

[Roland99]

13. Yeah...even FOX can't spin it very well:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166968,00.html

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

6. I was telling someone yesterday that I was a prophet when it came

to Iraq. They agreed. And I wasn't the only one. I have friends that "saw" what would happen too. We knew there were no WMDs. We knew that Iraq would be raped, and we knew that there would be civil war. The only thing is, it didn't take being a rocket scientist to know that. It was all so clear to us. Why couldn't others see it so clearly?

[Selatius]

12. Perhaps it was due to the quality of their information they were getting

The corporate news media simply isn't doing its job. It wouldn't be financially prudent to cover unsexy details than it would to cover, say, the runaway bride or the missing girl in Aruba. They get in the ratings, and this is good for them because it brings in money for the shareholders, but at what expense to democracy???