Sunni panelists meet Al-Hassani to present their counter proposal.

BAGHDAD, August 27, 2005 (IslamONline.net & News Agencies) – A few hours after the parliament speaker said a new constitution offer by the Shiite and Kurdish coalitions was awaiting a response from the Sunni Arabs, the Sunnis submitted their own proposal on the text of charter.

"We have presented a (new) proposal countering the Shiites' and Kurds'  proposal," Sunni negotiator Saleh Al-Motlag told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The Shiite and Kurdish alliances on Friday, August 26, forwarded what they called their "final offer" on the country's first post-Saddam constitution.

"We are looking into the counter-proposal given by the Sunnis," parliament speaker Hajim Al-Hassani told AFP.

Earlier Saturday, he said the Shiite-Kurdish proposal will be voted by the parliament Sunday "even if the Sunnis do not accept it."

The Shiites and Kurds, who dominate the government, commands 210 seats in the 275-member parliament.

Officials said it remained to be seen whether agreement could be reached ahead of the Sunday vote, amid concern from the US over the risks of leaving the Sunnis out with their anxieties unanswered.

US President George W. Bush has phoned Abdel Aziz Al-Hakim, a key figure in the ruling Shiite coalition of Premier Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, to convince him to seek an agreement with the Sunnis on the draft.

No Federalism

"We want a capital and one (federal) region only ( Kurdistan ), in addition to provinces enjoying delegated powers," Al-Motlag said.

The written Sunni proposal, which was seen by AFP, demanded omission of any reference to autonomous regions in the constitution, except for the Kurdish north, much of which has enjoyed autonomous status since 1970.

"We reject the word (federal) regions wherever it is mentioned (in the draft)," Al-Motlag averred.

"We want a capital (Baghdad) and one (federal) region only (Kurdistan), in addition to provinces enjoying delegated powers."

The proposal also stipulates that the Kurdish language be given official status only in the Kurdish region.

Al-Hassani said the Shiites and the Kurds made some concessions and "proposed that federalism will be implemented by the next assembly."

He told reporters that "the constitution gives the right (in principle) to establish federalism, but leaves the mechanism to form federal regions for the next elected parliament."

Iraq's next assembly will be elected by mid-December after the nation votes on the draft constitution on October 15.

Islam

Al-Motlag said the new Sunni draft declares Islam "the religion of the state and the main source of legislation."

The current working draft describes Islam as " a main source."

The Sunni proposal also maintains that the whole of Iraq be referred to as part of the Arab world.

In deference to Kurdish sensitivities, the current working text says that Iraq is part of the Islamic world but that only its Arab people are part of the Arab nation.

Sunni leaders have threatened to urge voters to reject the charter in the referendum if the text does not meet their demands.

Under the US-drafted interim law, the charter will fail if two-thirds of voters in any three provinces reject it.

Sunni Arabs form a majority in at least three provinces: Al-Anbar, Ninevah and Salaheddin.