"...the agreed final text is neither agreed nor final." http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=547
Iraqi constitution-drafters to meet Monday midnight deadline â" minus cardinal issues August 15, 2005, 2:56 PM (GMT+02:00) The 71-member panel promises an agreed text for the end of Monday, Aug. 15, except for the thorniest issues that have been left outstanding: the federal nature of the new republic (which faces firm Sunni opposition) and civil and religious rights, particularly as pertaining to gender equality. This means that the agreed final text is neither agreed nor final. But since calling a spade a spade would entail a national assembly meeting to dissolve itself and call new general elections, the panel members are doing their utmost to exhibit a commonly-agreed document that can be put to referendum in mid-October. The three outstanding issues are pretty fundamental: 1. The Kurds and the Shiite Muslims are pushing for maximum self-rule in the northern and south of Iraq in a federal system that would squeeze out the Sunnis of central Iraq. 2. The Shiites want the Sharia Islamic law code to be declared the source of legislation, which the Kurds and Sunnis sharply oppose. 3. The Kurds and Sunnis favor full equality for women, which the Shiites oppose. On the highly sensitive issue of the distribution of oil resources, the Kurds and Shiites have agreed on a simple share-out formula: Each claims 60% of the oil revenues from its respective regional oil fields, leaving 40% for central government. The Sunnis who are left without provision naturally object to this clause. DEBKAfileâs military sources report that both the Kurds and the Shiites are racing forward to turn their militias into national armies â" the Kurdish peshmerga and the Shiite Bader Organization commanded by Gen. Hadi al-Ameri. At the same time, both are intent on preserving central government in Baghdad both as their meeting point and to stand guard over oil receipts. Bereft of influence in the capital and denied promise of a share in national oil wealth, the Sunni minority which ruled Iraq under Saddam Hussein is hardly expected to accept these arrangements. Its rejection will dim the Bush administrationâs hopes of bringing the Sunnis into Iraqâs mainstream political process and so weaning them away from backing the guerrilla insurgency. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> <font face=arial size=-1><a href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hrfabvm/M=362329.6886306.7839369.3040540/D=groups/S=1705323667:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1124121162/A=2894321/R=0/SIG=11dvsfulr/*http://youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=1992 ">Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!</a>.</font> --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
