DRAFT CONSTITUTION GOES FORWARD

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003804

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2015
TAGS: PGOV PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: DRAFT CONSTITUTION GOES FORWARD

REF: BAGHDAD 3783

Classified By: (U) CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES
DAVID SATTERFIELD, REASON 1.5 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) Iraqi National Assembly Deputy Speaker Shahristani
told Charge September 14 evening that he had given the UN
earlier that day the official version of the Iraqi draft
constitution for public dissemination. Shahristani and
Kurdish negotiator Fuad Masum announced this to the press
earlier in the day. The National Assembly would use this
text in its public outreach efforts on national television
and in meetings around the country, Shahristani confirmed
to us.


2. (C) Shahristani implied that additional small changes
to the text might be made if they would bring support from
Sunni Arab political groups, such as the Iraqi Islamic
Party. These could be justified under a loose
interpretation of the transition law text that sought
public input into the draft text. Shahristani said that he
knew of no discussions between the Shia Coalition and Sunni
Arab negotiators, however. He cautioned that some of the
changes the Sunni Arabs seek, such as making it harder to
secure the next assembly's approval of a law enabling the
establishment of new regional entities would not be
acceptable to his Shia Coalition. Charge welcomed leaving
the door open to other small adjustments that might win
Sunni Arab public support, but he commended the decision to
move forward with the draft text now.


3. (C) Shahristani perceived that former Prime Minister
Ayed Allawi's Iraqiya List bloc was largely in support of
the draft text. The Iraqiya senior representative on the
Constitution Committee, Adnan al-Janabi, had signed the
final draft on behalf of his bloc, he said. Shahristani
conceded that al-Janabi had declined to appear at the
September 14 press event because he did not want to defend
the draft publicly. Shahristani said that, nonetheless,
most Iraqiya members would support the text. Similarly, he
thought most of current Prime Minister Jafari's Da'wa party
would also support the text, including Jafari himself.


4. (C) Charge urged Shahristani to seek a statement from
the National Assembly when it reconvenes September 18 that
welcomes the draft and urges it be approved in the October
15 referendum. Sharistani said this would have to be done
carefully. If the floor was opened to discussion of the
draft text, deputies who disagreed with a single article
here or there would feel compelled to air those differences
on the television. It would confuse the public and give
the appearance that the draft has less support than it
really does. By contrast, he said, he could issue a
statement as Acting President of the Assembly. Charge
urged that Shahristani find a formula that would lend
maximum support from the Assembly to the draft text.


5. (C) Two of the Sunni Arab negotiators told Poloffs in
separate conversations September 14 that the Sunni Arab
political groups held in-house meetings on the night of
September 13 to fix their individual parties' positions on
the draft constitution. They said the parties would meet
together on the night of September 14 to discuss a common
Sunni Arab position. Neither of our sources thought it
likely the text would gain public support from Sunni Arab
leaders without changes to the identity language in Article
3 and the federalism language in Article 114 at least.
Satterfield