Copies Of Iraqi Draft Constitution Being Distributed

4 October 2005 -- The United Nations says distribution is under way of millions of copies of Iraq's draft constitution ahead of the 15 October referendum in which voters will approve or reject the document.
The UN said 4 million copies of the document would be printed in Arabic, while the Kurdish north of Iraq is to get 1 million copies. Some 400,000 copies are being printed in the Turkoman and Syriac languages.

Officials said Iraqi groups are handling distribution of the draft document to voters.

U.S. Support For Conference

In another development, the United States has welcomed the Arab League's decision to send the group's secretary-general, Amr Mussa, to Iraq soon to organize a national reconciliation conference that would bring together all Iraqi factions. No date has yet been given for such a meeting.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called the decision a positive development, saying the United States has encouraged Iraq's neighboring countries and others in the region to lend their diplomatic support to the Iraqi people and government.

(AP/AFP)


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