KurdistanObserver.com

Kurds pave way for Iraqi draft charter approval

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Efforts to push through war-torn Iraq's constitution received a boost after the autonomous Kurdistan parliament approved the charter even as Sunni Arabs kept up their opposition.

Iraqi Kurdistan's regional parliament passed the draft charter saying it was a "big step" for the Kurds.

"Although the draft is not up to our expectations, it represents a big step for us in this period," Kurdistan parliament speaker Adnan al-Mufti said Wednesday in his address to parliament in the northern city of Arbil.

The approval from Iraqi Kurdistan is expected to pave the way for Iraq's 275-member parliament to pass the draft Thursday as Kurds and the majority Shiites together hold about 210 seats in the national assembly.

Iraq's interim rules stipulate that the draft can be passed by a simple majority in parliament.

Kurdish leaders were initially demanding the right to self-determination, a federal structure for Iraq and the inclusion of oil-rich Kirkuk in their autonomous northern region.

But intense US pressure forced them to climb down and agree to the draft along with the Shiites.