Proposal for Autonomous States in Iraq Creates Tension
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and ABDUL RAZZAQ AL-SAIEDI
New York Times
BAGHDAD, Sept. 10 — An agreement struck 11 months ago by Shiite and Kurdish leaders to win Sunni Arab support for a new constitution is fraying, causing concern among some political leaders that it could jeopardize Iraq’s fragile governing coalition.
The dispute peaked Sunday as a large Shiite faction continued to fight for quick approval of legislation giving provinces the authority to create autonomous states, which some powerful Shiites are seeking for southern Iraq. Sunni lawmakers and others who oppose the proposal refused to attend Parliament on Sunday, and warned that the plan could severely undermine the country’s unity government.
Shiite lawmakers said earlier on Sunday that they had reached an agreement with Sunnis and other political coalitions to delay the debate on the proposal until Sept. 19. But hours later legislators said that agreement had fallen apart, and it remained unclear whether Shiites would adhere to the delay.
A faction of Shiites led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a powerful party with close ties to Iran, wants legislation to establish a mechanism for provinces to start the process of creating semi-independent states. The new regions would have wide powers to control their own security and petroleum resources.
Over the weekend, Mr. Hakim renewed his call for a large autonomous region in southern Iraq that would encompass much of the country’s Shiite population and oil wealth. Kurds in the northeast already have a semi-autonomous region. The Sunnis fear that approval of such legislation would strip them of their rightful share of the country’s petroleum revenue, as western and north-central Iraq, where the Sunnis dominate, have little oil. The Sunnis accuse some Shiite leaders of breaking a promise last year in exchange for Sunni support for the constitution to follow through on a constitutional requirement to allow Parliament to renegotiate the issue.
(The rest of the article is here.)
New York Times
BAGHDAD, Sept. 10 — An agreement struck 11 months ago by Shiite and Kurdish leaders to win Sunni Arab support for a new constitution is fraying, causing concern among some political leaders that it could jeopardize Iraq’s fragile governing coalition.
The dispute peaked Sunday as a large Shiite faction continued to fight for quick approval of legislation giving provinces the authority to create autonomous states, which some powerful Shiites are seeking for southern Iraq. Sunni lawmakers and others who oppose the proposal refused to attend Parliament on Sunday, and warned that the plan could severely undermine the country’s unity government.
Shiite lawmakers said earlier on Sunday that they had reached an agreement with Sunnis and other political coalitions to delay the debate on the proposal until Sept. 19. But hours later legislators said that agreement had fallen apart, and it remained unclear whether Shiites would adhere to the delay.
A faction of Shiites led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a powerful party with close ties to Iran, wants legislation to establish a mechanism for provinces to start the process of creating semi-independent states. The new regions would have wide powers to control their own security and petroleum resources.
Over the weekend, Mr. Hakim renewed his call for a large autonomous region in southern Iraq that would encompass much of the country’s Shiite population and oil wealth. Kurds in the northeast already have a semi-autonomous region. The Sunnis fear that approval of such legislation would strip them of their rightful share of the country’s petroleum revenue, as western and north-central Iraq, where the Sunnis dominate, have little oil. The Sunnis accuse some Shiite leaders of breaking a promise last year in exchange for Sunni support for the constitution to follow through on a constitutional requirement to allow Parliament to renegotiate the issue.
(The rest of the article is here.)
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