Shiites Walk Out of Talks on Iraq Charter

A majority of the Shiite Muslim members of the Iraqi Governing Council walked out of a meeting aimed at drafting an interim constitution Friday night after the council voted to repeal a proposal that would have allowed Sharia, or Islamic law, to govern divorce, inheritance and other family matters.

The walkout occurred as the council worked to finish the interim constitution on the eve of a deadline. The interim constitution will guide Iraq until a permanent one is finalized next year.

Under a Nov. 15 agreement with the U.S.-led coalition ruling Iraq, the council was required to draft an interim constitution by today as part of a timetable for restoring Iraqi sovereignty by June 30.

The departure of at least eight Shiite members from the meeting deprived the 25-member body of a quorum and halted work. The walkout, the first since the U.S.-backed council was formed in July, was alternately described as an example of the growing divide between Shiite and Sunni members and as political theater with little real implications.

“They got angry and left,” said an observer. “It’s another lesson in democracy. I think they were just looking for an excuse to show their authority.”

Aides to council members said the Shiites, who largely favor a greater emphasis on Islam in designing Iraq’s laws, were beginning to demonstrate their independence from the minority Sunnis, who prefer a more secular system. The walkout followed a series of tense arguments.

The Shiite members who left the meeting could not be reached for comment. The council is scheduled to meet again today to continue working.

Some council members had previously voiced optimism about meeting today’s deadline, while others estimated that the charter could take weeks.

Council members said other issues that divide the panel include the form of Iraq’s presidency, what powers will be granted to local leaders and quotas for women in the legislature.

“There are still fundamental issues that are not agreed on,” said Mahmood Othman, an independent member of the council. “Everybody already knows the positions of everyone else. But without more flexibility and concessions, there will be no agreement.”

Other council members, however, said they felt they could meet the deadline if the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III, insists on it. The final version of the interim charter requires Bremer’s approval.

The Shiite legislators walked out after Dr. Rajaa Habib Khuzaai, a female Shiite member, introduced a measure to repeal a proposal passed in December that allowed each major religious group to apply its own traditions to family issues. The repeal passed 15 to 10.

“The legal work was finished long ago. Now everything is political,” said an advisor to a council member who spoke on condition of anonymity. “This is a very sensitive time.”

The issue of local authority is particularly important in northern Iraq, where Kurds lived in semi-autonomy during most of the 1990s and have well-established security forces.

Most women on the Governing Council insisted that Iraq’s new legislature set aside 40% of its seats for women; other council members were pushing for 25%. There are three women on the council.

Missing today’s deadline would not delay U.S. plans to transfer power on June 30. But Othman said some of the most contentious issues might not be resolved in the interim constitution and would have to be addressed when work begins on a permanent constitution.

Not resolving significant issues might emphasize splits in the U.S.-appointed council, which has been criticized as ineffective by Iraqis and Americans.

“If we don’t finish the law in a few days, all the agreements with the Americans may change,” Othman said. “Behind closed doors the Americans are pushing people to meet the deadline. They want to be able to say to the American people that things are going well in Iraq because this is an election year.”

Under the Nov. 15 agreement, the interim constitution must include a bill of rights and provisions for an independent judiciary and civilian control over the Iraqi military and security forces.