Calls to reject federalism in Iraq, sharing resources through law
Iraq, Politics, 8/20/2005

With the stumbled discussions over certain items of the Iraqi constitution, officials said that leaders of the political blocs might adopt the idea of issuing a law organizing the distribution of wealth in the country in order to solve this problem which has been one of the sticking points concerning the constitution.

Member of the parliament Khudeir al-Khuzai from the Iraqi al-Dawa party which is led by Ibrahim al-Jaafari said that there is a possibility that such a law would be issued without having to incorporate it in the articles of the constitution. This would facilitate finalizing the constitution.

The Iraqi national security advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubei warned against what he called the possible eruption of the civil war in Iraq in case the issue of the federalism in the permanent Iraqi constitution is not solved.

Al-Rubei indicated that federalism is in the interest of the Sunnis Arabs because it means allowing the merging of three governorates in the center of Iraq, better known as the Sunni triangle, into one district that enjoys the same rights enjoyed by the Kurds. Al-Rubei said that without federalism, the new constitution will not be an expression of the interest of society. This means that the sides concerned will start defending their own individual rights in one way or another.

Al-Rubei statements on the federalism in Iraq came at a time representatives of the Arab Sunni continue pressures in order to have their view points taken into account, especially concerning the principle of the federalism system which they reject strongly. The official spokesman for the national dialogue council Saleh al-Mutlak said that the Iraqi people will reject the constitution in the referendum due in October, should the word "federalism" is mentioned.

Six armed Sunni groups in Iraq called on the Sunni constitution writing members to oppose the constitution and to foil the American goals in Iraq.

Meantime, the representative for the Muslim Scholars Commission outside Iraq, Muhammad Ayash al-Kubeisi, said that he gave a Fatwa (religious edict) on the need of the Sunni Arab to participate in the referendum on the next Iraqi constitution. Al-Kubeisi added in a statement to al-Jazeera TV that this participation " falls in the course of order for promoting the good and denying the evil (in Arabic: al-Amre Belmarouf WalNahe An al-Mnkar)."

Previous Stories:
  Tareq Aziz to be freed shortly, lawyer says   (8/19/2005)
  Rumsfeld: Iraqi constitutional process will succeed   (8/18/2005)
  Hope political differences can be resolved in Iraqi constitution   (8/18/2005)
  Khalilzad: federalism, resources sharing not resolved yet in Iraqi constitution   (8/17/2005)

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