IRAQ: Iraq's parliament has reversed a ruling that would have helped a new constitution win approval, hoping to appease minority Sunnis after the United Nations warned it might refuse to endorse the referendum vote.
But, as a suicide car bomber wrecked a Shia mosque south of Baghdad, killing at least 24 people at the start of the holy month of Ramadan, Sunni politicians said they might still urge a boycott of the vote in protest at US action in the Sunni west.
The Sunnis, many of whom say the charter favours Shias and Kurds, nonetheless joined the White House and UN in welcoming parliament's move yesterday, which overturned a ruling on Sunday easing conditions for the October 15th ballot to secure a Yes vote.
The National Assembly's Shia majority insisted it acted by itself and not under pressure from the UN's veiled warnings. It also said it might challenge results if voters appeared to be scared off by insurgents opposed to the process.
The bomber killed at least 24 people and wounded 59 at the Shia mosque in Hilla as people gathered at dusk for the start of Ramadan, police said. The toll could rise sharply as the roof had caved in and people were still under the rubble, they added.
A US commander warned of a surge in violence in the run-up to the vote, including attacks on government sites.
Many Sunnis had complained of double standards in Sunday's ruling that defined the word "voters" in two different ways in one sentence of the interim constitution, to the disadvantage of Sunnis hoping for a blocking No vote in three provinces.
"They have reversed their decision as we had hoped they would," said UN spokesman Said Arikat in Baghdad.
Few Sunnis expect to defeat the constitution and are mobilising mainly for a December election - but the assembly's jitters highlighted fears of chaos if the charter does fail.
After parliament's reversal, Sunni politicians Saleh al-Mutlak and Hussein al-Falluji told Reuters their colleagues would meet soon and might call for another voting boycott if US forces did not halt major operations in western Iraq. "If this continues for another three or four days, we will announce a boycott of the referendum," Mr Mutlak said.
The Americans are targeting al-Qaeda guerrillas in Qaim, Haditha and other Sunni towns. But some local people complain that civilians are also suffering in US bombing.
The effect of yesterday's about-face is that targets set for approval or rejection of the constitution now both refer to proportions of votes cast. Sunday's ruling had cited the proportion of registered voters in the case of rejection. - (Reuters)