Tuesday, August 16, 2005

The Iraqi Constitution

On Sunday night I said
I'm not sure that an agreement will be reached before the deadline, or rather, I'm not sure a useful agreement can be reached by then. It won't surprise me if we are presented with a successful conclusion to the negotiations on Monday. On closer examination this is likely to be an agreement stating that "we agree to continue to negotiate" or something similar. That's the broad thrust of what I think is likely to happen on Monday/Tuesday anyway.
Sadly, I wasn't far off. The deadline for agreement has been extended. It's hard to see how the sticking points are ever going to be unstuck. I genuinely hope I'm proved wrong but I just can't see how a consensus can be reached between the different groups.
Bush responed to the news saying
"[the politicians would carry on working] to refine the text and build an enduring consensus... I applaud the heroic efforts of Iraqi negotiators and appreciate their work to resolve remaining issues through continued negotiation and dialogue... Their efforts are a tribute to democracy and an example that difficult problems can be solved peacefully through debate, negotiation and compromise."
Ever the optimist, Dubya. I'm adding the quote above to my list of predictions I wish I hadn't been proved right on (subject to possible objections from readers). Hell, someone should employ me as a special advisor. Let's face it, I couldn't do much worse than the current bunch of over-optimistic fools.

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