Iraq: Sunni Drafting-Committee Member Talks About Constitution

"RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) conducted an exclusive interview with Sunni Arab drafting-committee member Salih al-Mutlaq in Baghdad on 4 September. Al-Mutlaq discussed the draft constitution, and contended that if certain articles were changed, he and other Sunni Arabs would support the draft when it goes to referendum on 15 October.

Al-Mutlaq, on the Sunni Arab stance on the constitution: We will tell our people what the good elements are in this constitution, and it will be up to the people to decide whether they accept or refuse this constitution. As far as we -- the 25-member committee [the 15 Sunni delegates and 10 advisers to the constitution-drafting committee] -- are concerned, and regarding the articles of this constitution that we have read, we find this constitution inconvenient for Iraq. That is why we have rejected it. We will continue instructing [people] on this issue unless these paragraphs [that we have refused] are changed. There are now some steps for reopening the discussion again. If the dialogue is reopened and our opinions are taken into account, we will be positive in our views on this constitution. We will instruct the Iraqi people to accept it if the paragraphs that we objected to are changed."
RFI