Kurdish leaders agree to changes on draft constitution

Xinhuanet ^

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BAGHDAD, Sept. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Monday that he and the other top Kurdish leaders have agreed to changes on the draft constitution concerning the country's ties with the Arab League (AL).

"We have decided to support the draft and agreed to some changes which we think necessary for the country's ties with the Arab League, as Iraq is a founding member in the AL," Talabani told reporters in a news conference.

Talabani was referring to a statement issued after a meeting between the political offices of the two major Kurdish parties in northern Iraq, the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) headed by Talabani and the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) headed by his rival leader Massoud Barazani.

"We have accepted the amendments which we think necessary for the Islamic and Arab world," Talabani said, without elaborating.He said the meeting also included means to convince Sunni Arabs to take part in the country's political process."A Sunni Arab delegation is visiting Kurdistan region and will meet Barazani today," he added.

Sunni Arabs have pushed for Iraq to be defined as an Arab state that is part of the "Arab nation", a loaded term linked to pan-Arab nationalism.

However, the wording of the draft describes Iraq as an Islamic, not Arab country, according to a Shiite concession to the non-Arab Kurds who form about 15 percent of the Iraqi population.The draft constitution will fail if two-thirds of voters in any three of Iraq's 18 provinces reject it in the referendum due on Oct. 15.

If the draft is approved, the elections will be held under the constitution to choose a formal parliament by Dec. 15.As for Iraq's diplomatic relations with Arab counties, Talabani said Iraqis would not "beg their Arab brothers, and Iraq will not die if Arab ambassadors do not come." Enditem