US president optimism over Iraq's future
Iraq-USA, Politics, 8/30/2005

The US President George W. Bush expressed optimism over the future of Iraq, underlining the importance of differences on the Iraqi arena on the draft Iraqi constitution due to be debated for referendum on the mid of October.

From Arizona state, President Bush said that there are developments in Iraq that raise hope, noting that the Iraqis met from all social strata to draft the constitution.

On August 28, President Bush congratulated Iraqi political leaders on completing the process for drafting a permanent constitution, calling them "an inspiration to all who share the universal values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law" as they "braved the intimidation of terrorists and ... mourn the cowardly assassination of friends and colleagues involved in the process."

Bush noted that the draft contains "protections for fundamental human freedoms" and "declares that all Iraqis are equal before the law without regard to gender, ethnicity and religion." In a statement issued the same day, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also offered her congratulations to the Iraqi people, calling the draft constitution a "critical step forward along the pathway to a free, prosperous, and democratic Iraq."Ê She added that the process of preparing the draft constitution showed "a shared commitment to a common future and identity for all Iraqis."

According to the secretary, the draft constitution can be seen as "a foundation for a democratic system in which all voices may be heard, human rights are protected, rule of law is respected, and women are full political partners."Ê She noted that all Iraqis "now have the opportunity in October to vote on a new constitution," and that the United States "will continue to stand by the Iraqi people as they make important choices about their future."

Asked, yesterday, "Are you satisfied up until now that all the legalities have been satisfied and the procedure has -- because there are people in Iraq who are saying that the -- there's been no vote of the assembly, there was no vote to extend the deadline, that all this has been done illegally.Ê Are you confident, as the United States, that it all has been done within a legal framework?"

US Department of State Sean McCormack said "I think the authorities on this are the Iraqis.Ê And the assembly speaker has again said that according to Article 61, the deadline for submitting a draft constitution has been met.Ê And in terms of whether or not any action on the part of the parliament was required, a vote or some other affirmative action was required by the assembly, once the draft constitution was submitted, my understanding is that the TAL was silent on that matter and that that is a matter for the assembly to consider what affirmative action, if any, that it wanted to take.Ê So again, the Iraqis are the experts on their own law.Ê And I think that if you look at authoritative sources like the assembly speaker, that he has spoken that in fact the requirements of the law have been met."

The statement of the American President came at a time when thousands of demonstrators on Monday took the streets in protest of the draft constitution and vowed to work for rejecting it. The demonstrators raised the Iraqi flags and photos for the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and also for the two Shiite leaders Muqtada al-Sader and Jawad al-Khalisi who announced their rejection of the draft constitution which was approved by all members of the constitution drafting committee with the exception of the 15 Sunni members.

Previous Stories:
  US army frees 1000 Iraqi detainees from Abu Ghreib jail   (8/29/2005)
  Talibani supports Iraqi constitution draft, Sunnis opposed   (8/29/2005)
  Amr Mousa stresses Iraq's Arabism   (8/29/2005)
  White House official says Iraqis working to craft durable document   (8/26/2005)

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