IRAQI CONSTITUTION Largest of Sunni groups agrees to vote for pact

The Islamic Party was swayed by several changes to the document.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's National Assembly endorsed last-minute changes to Iraq's proposed constitution Wednesday, making ratification in Saturday's referendum almost a foregone conclusion and further fracturing Sunni Muslim political leadership.
The deal created fresh optimism about healing Iraq's deep political divisions. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite, promised to reach out to Sunni groups.
"We shouldn't break down the bridge between us and them. They are still our people. We will continue dialogue with them so they continue the political process," he said.
Meanwhile, various Sunni political and religious groups spent much of Wednesday staking out positions after the Iraqi Islamic Party broke ranks by negotiating with Shiite and Kurdish parties and endorsing the constitution. The Islamic Party is the largest Sunni political party and previously had led efforts to defeat the constitution.
On Tuesday, that party met with key U.S., U.N., Shiite and Kurdish groups and made changes to the proposed constitution. They agreed to at least four changes, including allowing for another constitutional referendum next year.
What was amended
Also agreed to were clauses that call for Iraqi unity; exclude only former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party who were convicted of crimes from the new government; and make Arabic an official language in the Kurdish regions.
In Baghdad's Adhemiya district, a largely Sunni neighborhood covered with Islamic Party posters opposing the constitution, several potential voters said they were swayed by the changes.
"We've been terrified that this constitution would serve one or two sects and that this constitution would be against us. After these amendments, we're not afraid anymore," said Ali Azahar, 26, while playing video games in an Adhemiya arcade.
Kurdish and Shiite leaders said they reached out to Sunnis to create a more broadly accepted, stronger constitution that would weaken the insurgency. In return, the Islamic Party promised to encourage its supporters to vote yes on the constitution.
"I think that there is no justification or excuse for the Sunnis to boycott. We have met all their demands and accepted all their suggestions. Now it is their national duty to take part in the referendum and vote yes," Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Wednesday.
Not everyone on board
But the National Dialogue Committee and the Muslim Scholars Association, two prominent Sunni groups, said they would still encourage their supporters to reject the constitution. They said the Iraqi Islamic Party didn't represent them.
"They want to circumvent the process of allowing the masses to vote no to the constitution," said Khalaf Elyan, secretary-general of the National Dialogue Committee.
While the Sunni leadership has always been fragmented, it had uniformly rejected the constitution until Tuesday. Sunni leaders had said they felt excluded from the constitution writing process. Some had told their supporters to vote down the referendum; others threatened to boycott the process.
Assembly members decided they didn't need to vote on the changes since it was clear that all agreed. They spent much of their hourlong emergency session congratulating each other.
Then the assembly speaker announced the changes had been accepted.
Mixed reactions in capitol
In parts of Baghdad, residents held spontaneous rallies and protests over the latest developments. Some residents chanted in the streets, screaming out of cars with pictures of Shiite religious leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Others shot guns in the air.
Although the Sunnis don't have a single leader or political position, it appeared that the Islamic Party's efforts enjoyed broad support among mainstream Sunni voters.
In the northeast Iraqi city of Diyala, a mix of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, the Sunni mayor, Khalid al-Singery, said the changes could affect how his city votes.
"I think people in Diyala will be satisfied with these changes, and I think it is time for us to start building up our country," al-Singery said. "These changes will unify Iraq. Those people who fought for the changes will put down their weapons."
But in Anbar province, a Sunni stronghold west of Baghdad, an explosion detonated near the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in Fallujah.
Insurgent violence also continued Wednesday. In Tal Afar, at least 30 police recruits were killed when a suicide bomber detonated himself near a police checkpoint. Another 35 were wounded.