BAGHDAD, May 16: Sunni leaders called on Monday for an independent group — rather than parliament — to write Iraq’s new constitution, a day after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said minorities should play a greater role in drafting the basic law. “We propose forming a committee outside parliament with representatives from across Iraq,” Nasser al Ani, a spokesman for the Sunni Arab Iraq Islamic Party, said.

“We want our Shia partners to give us an expanded role in this process.” New Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari pledged on Sunday to get more Sunnis involved in drafting the constitution after meeting Ms Rice during her surprise visit to Iraq.

Parliament has set up a committee to draft the constitution by a deadline of Aug 15. The draft is then to be put to a nationwide referendum by Oct 15 under a deadline set by the US-inspired transitional administrative law (TAL) currently governing Iraq.

Shia and Kurd leaders, who swept to power in the January elections, believe that involving Sunnis in the new administration is essential to undermining support for the anti-US guerillas. Because many Sunnis boycotted the country’s Jan 30 election, they are currently under-represented with just 16 seats in the 275-member assembly.

But their lack of parliamentary representation has cost them dearly in getting a voice on parliament’s constitutional committee. The 55-member body includes just two Sunnis. “The solution is to have a commission which includes members of parliament and people from outside the parliament,” Hajem al Hassani, the Sunni speaker of parliament, suggested.

Qassem Daoud, a national security adviser to former prime minister Iyad Allawi and a Shia member of the parliamentary constitutional committee, agrees that an independent committee might be a good idea.—AFP