BAGHDAD, Aug 26: Iraq’s Shia negotiators made final proposals on the text of a new constitution on Friday as US President George Bush personally intervened to bring the tortuous negotiations to a head.
Across the country, over 100,000 people marched in support of radical Shia leader Moqtada Sadr and to express their opposition to the draft constitution.
Washington has been putting massive pressure on negotiators to reach a compromise acceptable to the disenchanted Sunni community amid warnings from commanders that future US troop levels would largely depend on its reaction to the text.
“We reached today the final limit beyond which we can’t move any further,” said Jawad al Maliki, number two in the Dawa party of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.
“Our final proposal stipulates removing all obstacles to federalism and putting every obstacle in the path of the resurrection of the Baath party and continuing to prosecute its leaders,” he said.
The Shias’ proposal came after Mr Bush had called Abdul Aziz Hakim, a member of the ruling coalition, personally from his Texas ranch to try to break the deadlock which has seen negotiators miss three deadlines for a vote in parliament.
“The Americans are very angry that the Shias are not agreeing on this,” the New York Times quoted an unnamed Iraqi official as saying.
“They really want them to make these concessions to the Sunnis to keep them on board.”
Mr Maliki spoke out strongly against some of the demands put forward by the Sunnis.
“The Sunnis want to revive the Baath party and stop the process of de-Baathification and they want to obstruct federalism. This we cannot accept.”
Sunnis reacted strongly, denying they wanted to resurrect the Baath party.—AFP/Reuters
