Sunnis defiant

Telegraph reports Tortuous negotiations to decide the constitution of the new Iraq collapsed early today with the government admitting that they had reached "the end of the road". Saleh al-Mutlaq, a leading Sunni negotiator, said no agreement was reached on the draft text and called on Iraqis to reject it in a referendum in October. His bloc rejected a compromise offered by the majority Shia and Kurds on the key issue of federalism, which Sunnis fear will rob them of influence and wealth derived from oil. While a minority voice, the Sunnis can kill the constitution. Under the terms of the referendum, it will have to be torn up if, as anticipated, two thirds of voters in three of Iraq's 18 provinces vote No.

It is amazing how stupid the Sunnis can be. They boycotted the election that would have given them representation in the constitution writing convention, then the appointed Sunnis were upset when they were not able to dictate terms. They could have had the idea of federalism postponed to a new assembly where they might have been able to get people elected to push for more power in the central government. If they now push for this constitution to be voted down, they encourage separation into three different countries, with the Kurds in the north having plenty of oil, and the Shi'ites in the south having plenty of oil, and they would be in the center, with no oil, and a landlocked country with plenty of sand.

Hopefully saner heads will prevail before the Constitution comes up for a vote in October.