Sunnis offered greater role in Iraqi politics

Sunnis offered greater role in Iraqi politics

Omar Anwar, Reuters/Baghdad

Iraq's Shiite-led government said on Thursday it would give representatives of the restive Sunni Arab minority a greater role in drafting the country's new constitution, but the offer fell short of Sunni demands.

Leading officials in the committee tasked with writing the constitution by Aug. 15 said the size of the committee would be expanded to 69 people from 55. The number of Sunni Arab members would be raised to 15 from two, giving them the same level of representation in the body as the Kurds.

The Sunnis, however, have demanded more. On Wednesday an alliance of Iraq's main Sunni Arab groups said they wanted 25 seats on the constitutional committee and would refuse to take part in drafting the document unless their demand was met.

Sunni Arabs dominated Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule but were sidelined by Jan. 30 elections which propelled Shiites and Kurds into power. Many Sunni Arab groups called for a boycott of the elections and most Sunni voters stayed away from the polls.

Iraq's government says it will offer Sunni Arabs more participation in politics, in an effort to defuse sectarian tensions and undermine the Sunni-dominated insurgency.

"The idea is that Sunni Arabs get the same number of seats on the committee as the Kurds, which is 15. Sunnis already have two members, so we will add 13," Humam al-Hamoudi, head of the committee, told Reuters.

"The important thing is that the Sunnis are with us in every detail in drafting the constitution. It's in their and Iraq's interest that they are with us," he said.

Asked about the Sunni demand for 25 seats, he said: "This matter will be discussed. They say 25, and we will negotiate to solve this issue. We will continue to talk to them until they take part and are with us in every detail."

The decision of Iraq's main Sunni parties to end their boycott of the political process was a boost for Washington, which has been pressing for all of the country's religious and ethnic factions to work together in government.

But the row over seats on the constitutional committee could unravel Sunni Arabs' tentative engagement in politics.

As part of efforts to rebuild the country, the United States and European Union (EU) are taking part in a conference in Brussels on June 22 to discuss security and reconstruction.

An EU delegation of British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, EU foreign affairs commissioner Javier Solana, external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn made an unannounced visit to Baghdad for talks with Iraq's leaders ahead of the conference.

"You know in Europe the war divided us, but now we are unified to help Iraq," Asselborn told Iraqi President Jalal Talabani during their meeting.

"We have a very important meeting on the 22nd of June. We will not speak about Iraq, we will speak with Iraq.

"It will be a very, very important moment not only for Europe but also for Iraq. We will do our best to help you to establish and restore the rule of law," he said.

The group was due to hold talks with other government leaders later in the day.

"President Talabani confirmed that Iraq will send a 40-member delegation to the conference, including senior government ministers," a spokeswoman in Talabani's office said.