BAGHDAD, Aug 30: Iraq’s disenchanted Sunnis on Tuesday reached out across the sectarian divide to seek alliances with any ethnic or religious groups opposed to the newly-drafted constitution.

After staging demonstrations on Monday, Sunni leaders said they were opening talks with the movement of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and preparing a national conference to generate public support for defeating the charter at a mid-October referendum.

“We would like to cooperate with Moqtada al-Sadr and very soon we will start negotiations with him,” Saleh al Motlag, a top Sunni negotiator, said.

Sadr, who rejects any constitution drafted under the US-led occupation, enjoys widespread support among poor urban Shias and his militia led one of Iraq’s fiercest revolts against US-led forces last year.

“It is not just about the Sunnis anymore. It is about all those who do not want Iraq to break up, including the Shiites,” Motlag said.

US President George Bush said on Monday he was “very optimistic” about Iraq’s future after the charter was finally drawn up following weeks of tortuous negotiations, even if not everybody agreed with the text of the draft.

“Now the Iraqi people get to decide, they get to debate, they get to make the decision this fall as to whether or not that constitution will be the constitution that governs their society,” he said.

However, failure to win Sunni support for the charter has dented hopes that a consensus could help weaken the deadly insurgency that erupted after Saddam was toppled in April 2003.

As Iraq distributed millions of copies of the charter throughout the country Monday, thousands of Sunnis in Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit took to the streets to protest against its federalist proposals.

As well as carrying pictures of Saddam and banners calling for a united Iraq, protestors also chanted support for Sadr and his fundamentalist Shiite movement.

Sunnis fear any decentralisation of government will rob them of a share in Iraq’s vast oil wealth which is largely concentrated in the Kurdish north and Shia south.

During the charter negotiations, Sadr had expressed opposition to a federal structure for Iraq while more senior Shiite leaders called for Kurdish-style autonomous regions throughout the country.

At least 20 members of parliament are said to be political allies of Sadr’s movement.

Mr Motlag said Sunnis would engage with leaders of any of Iraq’s mosaic of ethnic and religious groups against the charter.

“Once we have these people together, we will go for the conference which should be very soon,” he said.

A member of Sadr’s movement in Baghdad said: “Nothing is decided yet.

“There are several opinions but as of now we have decided to focus on registering our names to participate in the referendum. The final decision will be taken by Sadr later.”—AFP