Iraqis Said to OK Interim Constitution

[charrison]

Iraqi officials reached agreement early Monday on the draft of an interim constitution and will probably sign the document after a Shiite Muslim religious holiday ends, a spokesman for a member of the Iraqi Governing Council said.

Entifadh Qanbar, spokesman for council member Ahmad Chalabi, said the meeting ended at 4:20 a.m. with "full agreement ... on each article." Qanbar expected the document to be signed Wednesday - one day after the end of the Shiite feast Ashoura.

Top U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer, who was closely involved in the final days of negotiation, must then approve the document.

Qanbar said the draft charter will recognize Islam as "a source of legislation" - rather than "the" source as some officials had sought - and that no law will be passed that violates the tenets of the Muslim religion.

The draft charter accepts the principle of federalism but leaves it up to a future elected national assembly to decide the details of self-rule for the Kurdish minority. It allows the current Kurdish autonomy government to continue "under a united Iraq," Qanbar said.

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[Martin]

Good to hear. I read that a lot of members weren't happy about the women's rights parts.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Hopefully this shows a willingness by all to form a real gov't that represents all the people of Iraq.

CkG