WP: Iraq Occupation Faces New Challenge

A demand by Shiite Muslim political and religious leaders that the drafters of Iraq's constitution be chosen through a national election has become a complex new obstacle for the Bush administration that threatens to prolong the U.S.-led occupation.

Shiites, who account for about 60 percent of Iraq's population, believe an election would assure them of a clear majority at an eventual constitutional convention, enabling them to push through language they favor on a variety of controversial topics, including the role of religion in government.

But the leaders of Iraq's two largest minority groups -- Sunni Muslim Arabs and Sunni Kurds -- oppose that approach out of concern it could take as long as two years and result in extremist Shiites winning a majority. The Bush administration, which regards a new constitution as a prerequisite for ending the occupation, has been trying to persuade Shiite leaders to compromise. The disagreements have stalled the drafting process, which Bush administration officials had hoped would be in full swing by now.

The dispute also has become the first major test of whether Iraq's fractious religious and ethnic groups will be able to form a stable, united government. Some of those involved in the issue said the intensity of the disagreement suggests they will face even stiffer battles when such issues as federalism and the rights of women are addressed at the convention. "It's a proxy for what's ahead," said one occupation authority official.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55861-2003Oct20.html

Fundamentalist? Will Chimp say, "The People Have Spoken ..It is Well"

All that hard work writing a constitution for them will be down the drain.
Perhaps they can bring a floppy of it with them to Iraq to save time there.