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Article: Sticking points in an Iraq Constitution.(Opinion & Editorial)
- Article from:
- Manila Bulletin
- Article date:
- August 30, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE deadline (Aug. 15th) came and went and the Iraqi political leaders were not able to come up with a new constitution (which will be offered to the people for a referendum in October). The two major sticking points have boiled down to whether or not the government should be Federalist (the Philippines may learn a lot in watching how this plays out) and the role of Islam. The three groups - Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis - cannot come to a conclusive agreement. Shiite fundamentalists hold out for Islam being the "primary source" for the constitution, while more secular minds want it merely "a main source." One of the ironies of this new constitution, dictated by the Iraqis ...