They just got a different tool to use than we do: They kill innocent lives to achieve objectives. That's what they do. And they're good. They get on the TV screens and they get people to ask questions about, well, you know, this, that or the other. I mean, they're able to kind of say to people: Don't come and bother us, because we will kill you. Bush - Joint News Conference with Blair - 28 July '06

Friday, September 23, 2005

Iraq: Sistani urges "Yes" to constitution

reutersalertnet: Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on his supporters on Thursday to vote "Yes" to the country's draft constitution in a referendum scheduled for Oct. 15.

Sistani, based in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, urged his aides to spread support for the charter among his followers, his office told Reuters on Thursday.

Local television stations in Najaf also carried his call for a "Yes" vote on Thursday.

Sistani enjoys widespread support among Iraq's majority Shi'ite population, and his call is a significant boost to the Shi'ite and Kurdish-led government, which has been struggling to drum up enthusiasm for the constitution.

The text has become a contentious issue in Iraq, further dividing its three already fragmented main communities. Read more

db: No suprises there