Iraqi insurgents may be checked militarily but their violent campaign will never end completely unless those within the Sunni community who shelter and support them can be convinced that the political process can guarantee their future. It was thus wise that the Iraqi interim government agreed yesterday to increase Sunni representation on the commission charged with drafting the constitution, a process supposed to be completed by Aug. 15.
There was confusion last night as to whether the Sunni delegates had been increased from 13 to 15 or to the 25 demanded by community leaders, but it is quite clear that President Talabani’s interim administration is prepared to be flexible. No new constitution is going to succeed unless it has the support of all Iraqis and that of course includes the Sunnis who make up some 20 percent of the population. It is now possible to discern a real change in attitude among Sunnis.
In the run-up to the election, it seemed that only a few brave Sunnis was prepared to either stand for office or go to the election booths. Now there appears to be a realization that unless the community is able to take a significant role in shaping the new Iraq, it will be missing a unique opportunity.
A further sign of change comes from Ayham Al-Samarie, a leading Sunni politician who has said that two terror groups, which he claims represent more than half of the insurgency, are ready to disarm and are about to initiate a truce. By itself this news might be open to doubt. However, other sources suggest that Iraqi government officials and even the Americans have been having informal contacts with insurgents. Something is clearly in the air.
Many obstacles lie ahead, not least the recent suggestion that the Shiite militia of the Badr Brigade, far from being disbanded be given a formal role. This unwise plan is a direct consequence of the Kurdish refusal to merge their own Peshmerga fighters immediately into the new Iraqi police and armed forces. As long as Shiite and Kurdish militias which are not answerable to the central government exist, many in the Sunni community will be tempted reluctantly to support their own militias.
It must be hoped that the focus now becomes even sharper on the political process, which offers the only lasting solution. Sorting out the representation of the Constitution Commission had become urgent. It is scheduled to complete its complex work in less than two months. The US-framed timetable allows for an extra six months, which would mean postponing the October referendum on the new constitution. The argument that the process should not be rushed seems less strong than that for an early resolution of the debate. The terrorists took bloody advantage of the long delay in forming the interim government and will surely do the same if the constitution drafting process drags on. Much preliminary work has already been done. What is needed now is compromise and statesmanship from all sides to create a constitution around which the whole country can rally.
