David Enders (Mother Jones): Many Things to Discuss on Iraq Constitution

[Jack Rabbit]

From Mother Jones
Dated Tuesday August 2

Baghdad Journal:
"There Are Still a Lot of Things to Discuss"
As the deadline for Iraq's constitution draws near, the disputes over the future of the country are no closer to being resolved.
By David Enders

On Monday, Hamam Hamoudi, the head of Iraq's constitution committee, announced at a press conference that a draft document would be delivered by the August 15 deadline, to be voted on in a nationwide referendum to be held in October. The announcement came amidst rumors that the committee was considering an extension.

"I see the constitution in my sleep," Hamoudi said during an interview last week.

The fight over major issues continues, with many urging that some of the disputes be dropped until after ratification.

"This is the time for statesmanship, for thinking long term and for making the necessary compromises, not to disappoint the people of Iraq and the people of the world and I have every expectation that they will succeed in producing a good draft in a timely fashion," said US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who met with members of the committee last week.

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