Workers are making a propaganda board for the referendum of the draft constitution. (Photo: Xinhua/Reuters)

    BAGHDAD, Oct. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi leaders announced on Wednesday that an agreement has been reached to amend the draft constitution, just three days before the charter will go to a referendum.

    Iraq's political leaders, including President Jalal Talabani and Parliament Speaker Hachim al-Hasanni, said the National Assembly (parliament) will convene Wednesday night to vote on the agreement and amendments.

    The move to amend the charter has won at least one Iraq's main Sunni Arab political party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, which has decided to call on its supporters to vote yes in the Oct. 15 referendum. Enditem

    Sunni's "No" puts charter in limbo

    BAGHDAD, Oct. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The fate of Iraq's first post-war constitution remained unknown as of Wednesday when the country's political leaders said chances to amend the charter have paved the way for people's "Yes" vote on the referendum, while the dissatisfied Sunnis thought otherwise.

    Heavy-weight politicians, including President Jalal Talabani, Parliament Speaker Hachim al-Hasanni, head of the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq Abudul-Aziz al-Hakim, confirmed that an agreement has been reached to amend the draft constitution. 

    Hailing the agreement, Talabani said "I believe the final draft would promote the unity and independence of the whole country," while giving credit to US Ambassador in Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad for his active role in bring groups together for a last-minute consensus.

    Parliament speaker al-Hasanni also expressed hope that "all Iraqis say 'Yes' to the draft."

    Meanwhile, influential Shiite party leader al-Hakim said the amendment would ensure the unity of Iraq, preserve the Arabic language, use new ways of dealing with de-Baathification, adding that a new committee will be formed in four months after the December election to study the amendments.

    The move was widely seen as a last-ditch effort by the Shiite-Kurd dominated Iraqi government to lure the Sunni Arabs to endorse the constitution.

    All these pledges, however, failed to win Sunni Arabs' heart as they see no guarantees for their rights being protected and, thus vowed to vote down the controversial draft constitution.  

    "We reject the draft constitution and call on the Iraqi people to actively participate in the referendum to say "No" to the constitution," Kamal Hamdoun, a prominent Sunni leader, read from a statement at a news conference in Baghdad.

    The Sunni Arabs, who make up one fifth of Iraq's population and dominate in three provinces, could veto the constitution under thecurrent referendum rule.

    One of the main Sunni Arab objections to the draft charter is federalism which they fear could lead to split of the country andleave control of Iraq's oil-rich areas to the Kurds in the north and the Shiites in the south.

    "Practically, the new commission would not be able to make any amendments, and the current charter would last for dozens of years," said Saleh al-Mutlaq, spokesman for the Iraqi National Dialogue, a leading Sunni Arab group.

    "The constitutional amendments would fail if two thirds of the voters in at least three provinces reject the changes. It would be very easy for powers which control any three provinces to abort any changes, thus, the constitution would remain intact," Mutlaq explained.

    Mutlaq also urged Iraqis to vote against the charter in Saturday's referendum, saying "it is a national duty and honor to participate in the ballot to defeat the draft charter."  

    But, the Iraqi Islamic Party, a main Sunni party in the country, has decided to drop its previous stance on the issue, and is expected to call on its followers to say "Yes". 

    The decision, however, was hit by an explosion on the party's Falljah branch Wednesday night.

    A local source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that "the insurgents attacked the party's branch office in Fallujah, and the guards fled. Then the insurgents set explosives in the building and detonated it."  Enditem