Constitution consensus unlikely

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A day before the deadline for the new constitution, Sunni Arabs appealed Sunday to the United States and United Nations to prevent Shiites and Kurds from pushing a draft through parliament without their consent, warning it would only worsen the crisis in Iraq.

Leaders of the Sunni Arab, Shiite and Kurdish factions planned final talks this morning according to officials of all three groups. “I am not optimistic,” said Kamal Hamdoun, a negotiator for the influential Sunni minority. “We either reach unanimity or not.”

The initial Aug. 15 deadline was pushed to today after no agreement was reached, and Iraqi officials have insisted they would meet the new deadline and present a final document to the National Assembly, dominated by Shiites and Kurds. But the chief government spokesman suggested another delay may be necessary.

Saddam Hussein, who faces trial soon on charges he massacred fellow Muslims, promised in a letter published Sunday to sacrifice himself for the cause of Palestine and Iraq, and he urged Arabs to follow his path.

The letter was delivered by the International Committee of the Red Cross to a friend of Saddam’s living in Jordan.

“My soul and my existence is to be sacrificed for our precious Palestine and our beloved, patient and suffering Iraq,” said the letter, published in two Jordanian newspapers.

Meanwhile, an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb near the northern city of Tikrit, and two U.S. soldiers died when their vehicle overturned in Tal Afar, the U.S. military said.

A Sunni Arab backlash could complicate the U.S. strategy of using the political process to lure members of the minority away from the Sunni-dominated insurgency. Washington hopes that a constitution, followed by general elections in December, will enable the United States and its international partners to begin removing troops next year.

Issues holding up agreement on the draft include federalism, distribution of Iraq’s oil wealth, power sharing questions among the provinces and the role of the Shiite clerical hierarchy.

Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, said 97 percent of the draft had been finished and predicted the document would be forwarded to parliament on time today.

Government spokesman Laith Kubba said there were two options if political leaders fail to complete the draft: amend the interim constitution again and extend the deadline, or dissolve parliament.

But the Sunni Arabs complained they have been invited to only one session with the other groups since the extension was granted.

As of late Sunday, Sunni negotiators said they were sticking by their demands, including opposition to federalism.

“At a time when there are few hours left to announce the draft, we still see no active coordination and seriousness to draft the constitution,” the Sunni negotiators said in a statement.

They urged the United States, the United Nations and the international community to intervene to prevent a draft that lacks unanimous agreement among all three factions, saying it “would make the current crisis more complicated.”

Shiites and Kurds have enough seats in parliament to win approval for a draft without the Sunni Arabs.

However, the minority could scuttle the constitution when voters decide whether to ratify it in the Oct. 15 referendum. Under current rules, the constitution would be defeated if it is opposed by two-thirds of the voters in three of Iraq’s 18 provinces. Sunni Arabs form the majority in at least four.

Some radical groups within the insurgency, notably al-Qaida’s wing led by the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, oppose any constitution as an affront to Islam and have vowed to kill anyone who votes in the referendum. Sunni clerics, however, have urged their followers to register to vote.

Also Sunday, the Iraqi government said neighboring Jordan has allowed Saddam’s family to fund a network seeking to destabilize Iraq and re-establish the banned Baath Party.

Kubba, speaking to reporters in Baghdad, cited Saddam’s relatives who live in Jordan, where they have “huge amounts of money” to “support … efforts to revive Baath Party organizations.” Kubba did not specify individual family members, but Saddam’s two oldest daughters live in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Although the Iraqis frequently have complained of subversive activity generated from Syria, Kubba’s remarks were the strongest yet directed against pro-Western Jordan.

On CNN’s “Late Edition,” Kubba said Iraq wanted good relations with Jordan. But he said there were former members of Saddam’s regime using Jordan as a base.