WASHINGTON APPLAUDS DEAL ON DRAFT CONSTITUTION FOR IRAQ

Washington The White House said yesterday it welcomed a last-minute deal in Iraq to help secure the passage of a draft constitution, calling it a “positive step” that will encourage the war-torn country’s minority Sunni population to take part in the political process. “ This is a positive step. We welcome it. We believe such steps will help Iraq move forward on the path to a strong and lasting democracy,” spokesman Scott McClellan said as Iraq prepared for a national constitutional referendum set for Saturday. Speaking after a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Iraqi army recruitment centre, killing 30 people, Mr. McClellan predicted a rising tide of violence in Iraq in the face of progress toward building a democracy there. “We’ve always expected that the terrorists who seek to derail the transition to democracy will continue to try to stop the political process from moving forward by attacking innocent civilians. The more the Iraqi people move forward on the political process, the more desperate the terrorists become,” he said. “We expect to see continued violence because the terrorists understand how high the stakes are in Iraq.” Under the deal, clinched after weeks of intensive negotiations, parliament will consider revisions to the constitution after new elections for a permanent government to be held in December.