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Sistani Games Continue: Constitution Bad; UN Envoys have cooties
Top Iraq cleric says heâll skip sit-downs with U.N. envoysTuesday, March 23, 2004 BY ANTHONY SHADID WASHINGTON POST BAGHDAD -- Iraqâs most powerful Shiâa Muslim cleric intensified his opposition to the countryâs interim constitution in a letter released yesterday, threatening to boycott meetings with U.N. envoys who are expected to help chart the transition from American occupation if the constitution is endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. Many fear that if he holds his breath too long, heâll turn pink. The threat by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani marked another dramatic assertion of the reclusive, 73-year-old clericâs authority in the attempts to fashion a political arrangement after the U.S. administration of Iraq ends June 30. While Sistani already has made clear his objections to the interim constitution, the letter was forceful in questioning its legitimacy, demanding that it be amended and warning of the consequences of not revising a document praised by its supporters as the most liberal in the Arab world. Iâm in charge! I am the powerbroker in Iraq! Kiss my ring! The letter, which was dated Friday and bore the stamp of Sistaniâs office in the sacred Shiâa city of Najaf, said flaws in the constitution "will lead to a dead end and bring the country into an unstable situation and perhaps lead to its partition and division." ...more... Love those Holy guys. Theyâre so reasonable and rational. Thereâs even a rumor that one or two have traveled outside ancient times, but one can never be sure of such wild-eyed assertions. Posted by: .com 2004-03-23 |
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