IRAQ ON THE BRINK OVER CHARTER

 

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Daily Mail

Tuesday, August 23, 2005.

 

by

 

William Lowther

 

 

Iraq was on the brink of a political crisis last night, with Sunni leaders warning of all-out civil war.

 

The row centred on a move by the rival Shia Islamists to force through a Constitution

 

As the clock ticked towards the midnight deadline for agreeing a draft charter, the Iraqi leaders prepared to submit one to parliament.

 

It was withdrawn at the last moment, however, to give time to win over the majority Sunni community whose support is key to ending the insurgency.

 

Speaker Hajim -al Hassani extended the deadline by three days to try and ensure ‘the constitution pleases everyone’.

 

‘All these groups in the coming three days will try, God willing, to reach accord’, he said, before adjourning the session.

 

A key dispute is over women’s rights - and it emerged yesterday that the U.S. is backing Shia demands for Islamic religious law to be enshrined in the constitution.

 

This would mean finally abandoning the tarnished dream of turning Iraq into a beacon of secular democracy.

 

Federalism and sharing out the country’s oil wealth also remain sticking points.

 

‘We will not be silent,’ said Soha Allawi, a Sunni Arab on the drafting committee.

 

‘The draft has elements that will lead to the break-up of Iraq and civil war.’

 

A referendum on a charter is due in October, followed by elections in December [2005]. If those dates slip, the prospect of British troops pulling out will recede.

 

With stakes high, it was revealed that the U.S. - which has intervened directly in talks -was no longer opposing an Islamic State that would erode women’s rights.

 

The Shia want to give their clerics near total authority over domestic disputes, using their own interpretation of the Koran to decide what women can and cannot do.

 

This would leave Iraqi women with far fewer rights than they had under Saddam Hussein and make a mockery of American claims to bring democracy to the country.

 

About 100 women protested in central Baghdad yesterday.

 

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AUG/05

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MoD - obtains almost half the COST of the Iraq War and Afghanistan  selling Army land - barracks-hospitals.July-2007

 

 

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www.eutruth.org.uk

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www.thewestminsternews.co.uk

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www.speakout.co.uk

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Daniel Hannan - Forming an OPPOSITION to the EU

www.telegraph.co.uk.blogs

 

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VOTE

MAY -2007

 

TO LEAVE THE EUROPEAN UNION

WITH THE ONLY PARTY WITH A MANDATE

TO SET YOU

 FREE

 

THE

UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY

www.ukip.org

 

TO RECLAIM YOUR DEMOCRACY DON'T VOTE FOR THE TRIPARTITE PARTIES IN WESTMINSTER

BUT

SMALL PARTIES THAT SPEAK THEIR MINDS WITHOUT SPIN AND LIES.

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ONLY

PRO-PORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

WILL BRING DEMOCRACY BACK TO THE ENGLISH PEOPLE

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Home Rule for Scotland

WHY NOT

HOME RULE for ENGLAND

 

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MAY/07

 

[All underlined words have a separate bulletin

THE QUESTION THAT THE VOTER MUST ANSWER

 

‘DO YOU WISH TO BE GOVERNED BY YOUR OWN PEOPLE, LAW AND CUSTOM OR BY THE CORRUPT ,EXPENSIVE UNACCOUNTABLE AND ALIEN BUSYBODY BRUSSELS’

 

-SIMPLE IS IT NOT?