Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the ongoing concerns stated by the International Crisis Group that the weakness of the Iraqi draft constitution is likely to fuel rather than to quell insurgency in the country; the dangers that the Sunni minority, despite opposing the proposed constitution, will be unable to block it; and the potentially disastrous consequences that this may have for Iraq. [26847/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The draft constitution of Iraq was drawn up in a lengthy negotiation between the parties represented in the Transitional National Assembly. This process included additional representatives of the Sunni community, who were co-opted onto the constitutional committee to compensate for their under-representation in the Assembly. The draft constitution was approved by the committee at the end of August, and will be put to the Iraqi people in a referendum on 15 October.

The UN has reported that preparations for the referendum, which are being overseen by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, are now largely complete. The Deputy will be aware of the concerns which were expressed by the UN following the adoption by the Transitional National Assembly, on 2 October, of a resolution regarding the referendum law. I welcome the decision by the assembly yesterday to withdraw the resolution. While the constitutional referendum is a sovereign Iraqi process, it is important for its credibility that it is based on an electoral framework which meets international standards.

I am also aware of the concerns expressed by the International Crisis Group and others on the draft constitution itself. Clearly, complete consensus among the negotiators would have been desirable, and this was not achieved. It has been widely reported that in the final negotiations an overall compromise between Shia, Sunni and Kurdish priorities proved impossible, and that the draft constitution represents, on some points, the majority view of the Shia and Kurdish representatives. Shia and Kurdish leaders have asserted that they agreed to numerous amendments to reflect Sunni concerns. On some points, however, it appears that the basic vision of the Sunni parties was incompatible with that of the Shia and Kurdish communities, which make up some three-quarters of Iraq's population. These, however, are issues for the Iraqi people and their representatives to decide, as part of the democratic process.

A central priority of the political process in Iraq is to create the conditions in which the current campaign of lethal violence can be brought to an end. Disagreements on communal lines over the draft constitution should not be allowed to exacerbate that violence. There have been reports that some Sunni parties may be ready to accept the draft constitution in return for some specified concessions, possibly in the form of agreed amendments. I would hope that all avenues capable of achieving greater consensus would continue to be explored by all concerned.

Finally, it is my hope that all Iraqi citizens will be able to engage fully in the political debate and to exercise their democratic rights in the referendum on 15 October.