Sunnis plead for consent on constitution

ONE day before the deadline for Iraq’s new constitution, Sunni Arab negotiators appealed to the international community to prevent Shi’ites and Kurds from pushing a draft charter through parliament without Sunni consent.

An Iraqi government spokesman suggested that if the factions cannot agree on a draft by tonight, parliament may have to amend the interim constitution yet again to extend the deadline and prevent its dissolution.

The deadline was extended by a week last Monday after negotiators failed to reach agreement on a number of issues.