Iraq charter update fails, US continues with 'offense' policy
yahoo/AP: "The talks have ended. We did not reach any agreement on making changes to the draft. It will be printed in the form it was read to the National Assembly last week," Bahaa al-Araji, a member of the parliamentary drafting committee, told Reuters.
"No changes will be made," he said, adding that five million copies will be printed, starting on Thursday.
[db emphasis]
...The northern town of Tal Afar was on edge on Tuesday after doctors said at least seven civilians were killed during an operation by Iraqi and U.S. troops against insurgents there.
A further 13 have been wounded in Tal Afar, a hospital source told Reuters; the U.S. military said one U.S. soldier died when his vehicle was struck by a bomb there on Monday.
Iraqi police and troops backed by U.S. forces launched the operation some days ago in Tal Afar, which they say is a conduit for foreign fighters slipping into the country. Iraqi forces have now begun evacuating the town's central Saray district.
"Around 100 families have been evacuated in the last few days," an Iraqi army captain told Reuters.
Television footage showed Iraqi soldiers bursting into houses in Tal Afar searching for weapons, pictures of captured former president Saddam Hussein and video cassettes before leading suspects away. [db: What, not pics of bin Laden? Not even al-Zawahri? No beheadings videos? Or is this more a purge of Baathists NKVD style than a hunt for terrorists? Or on the other hand, just any excuse to give Tal Afar some 'pay back']
MARGINALISED
Sunnis have felt increasingly marginalized since a U.S.-led war ousted Saddam in 2003 and a Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led government came to power.
Most Sunnis did not vote in a January election, though many are now registering for the constitutional referendum and another parliamentary election expected in December.
Many Sunni leaders have vowed to ensure the draft constitution is rejected in its present form.
"We are... very sad that they took this decision even though they know what will happen to this country if they pass it in this form," Saleh al-Mutlak, a senior negotiator for Sunni Arabs, told Reuters.
"If the constitution gets a 'Yes' then Iraqis who reject it will say that the results were falsified. The situation will be bad politically and the security situation might get out of control. If the constitution gets the two thirds 'No' in three provinces, sectarian tension will increase."
"They were really unwise to take this decision."
If two thirds of voters in three of Iraq's 18 provinces cast a ballot against the constitution it will be vetoed and the drafting process will start again under a new interim Assembly to be elected in December.
Sunnis are the majority in at least three provinces. Read more
"No changes will be made," he said, adding that five million copies will be printed, starting on Thursday.
[db emphasis]
...The northern town of Tal Afar was on edge on Tuesday after doctors said at least seven civilians were killed during an operation by Iraqi and U.S. troops against insurgents there.
A further 13 have been wounded in Tal Afar, a hospital source told Reuters; the U.S. military said one U.S. soldier died when his vehicle was struck by a bomb there on Monday.
Iraqi police and troops backed by U.S. forces launched the operation some days ago in Tal Afar, which they say is a conduit for foreign fighters slipping into the country. Iraqi forces have now begun evacuating the town's central Saray district.
"Around 100 families have been evacuated in the last few days," an Iraqi army captain told Reuters.
Television footage showed Iraqi soldiers bursting into houses in Tal Afar searching for weapons, pictures of captured former president Saddam Hussein and video cassettes before leading suspects away. [db: What, not pics of bin Laden? Not even al-Zawahri? No beheadings videos? Or is this more a purge of Baathists NKVD style than a hunt for terrorists? Or on the other hand, just any excuse to give Tal Afar some 'pay back']
MARGINALISED
Sunnis have felt increasingly marginalized since a U.S.-led war ousted Saddam in 2003 and a Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led government came to power.
Most Sunnis did not vote in a January election, though many are now registering for the constitutional referendum and another parliamentary election expected in December.
Many Sunni leaders have vowed to ensure the draft constitution is rejected in its present form.
"We are... very sad that they took this decision even though they know what will happen to this country if they pass it in this form," Saleh al-Mutlak, a senior negotiator for Sunni Arabs, told Reuters.
"If the constitution gets a 'Yes' then Iraqis who reject it will say that the results were falsified. The situation will be bad politically and the security situation might get out of control. If the constitution gets the two thirds 'No' in three provinces, sectarian tension will increase."
"They were really unwise to take this decision."
If two thirds of voters in three of Iraq's 18 provinces cast a ballot against the constitution it will be vetoed and the drafting process will start again under a new interim Assembly to be elected in December.
Sunnis are the majority in at least three provinces. Read more
posted by exoplanet at 7:04 PM
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