Sunnis Reject Draft of Iraqi Constitution

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi negotiators finished the country's new constitution Sunday without the endorsement of Sunni Arabs who helped prepare it, dealing a blow to the Bush administration and setting the stage for a bitter campaign leading up to an October referendum.

The 15 members of the Sunni panel said they rejected the document because of disagreements over such issues as federalism, Iraq's identity and references to Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated Baath Party.

Sunni Arab negotiators also said in a joint statement that they had asked the United Nations and Arab League to intervene.

The country's parliament speaker, Hajim al-Hassani, a Sunni Arab who was not on the negotiating panel, said he had "some reservations" about the draft - including "too much religion" and curbs on women's rights - and believed Shiites should have offered more concessions to the Sunnis."...

...and fail to affirm the country's Arab identity. The draft refers to Iraq as an Islamic - but not Arab - country as the Sunnis demanded."

I would reject both versions, and opt for something all inclusive, like no mention of any one particular identity, and not chopping other groups up into demographically challenged sub groups, like they are doing to many of the minorities

...Sunni leaders said their people should oppose the charter peacefully by voting "no" in the referendum.

"The (Sunni) bloc should now convene a general conference to decide how to proceed," Sadoun Zubaydi said. "Boycotting the referendum and parliamentary elections (in December) would be a lose-lose proposition. Our hope will be in the next parliament that will hopefully be more balanced than this one."
My Way

One can only hope