Iraq Sunnis to call for UN arbitration on constitution News
Iraq Sunnis to call for UN arbitration on constitution

[JURIST] A Iraqi Sunni leader concerned with low Sunni representation on the committee charged with drafting Iraq’s new constitution [JURIST news archive] reiterated Saturday that Sunnis will suspend work on the document if the make-up of the committee is not altered. Adnan Dulaimi, chairman of the Sunni charitable foundation body, told Islam Online that if their demands were not met they would seek arbitration by a neutral body like the UN. Iraqi president Jalal Talabani [Wikipedia profile] last week voiced support for the request of adding 23 Sunnis to the 2 currently on the 55-member committee, but leaders of the Shiite-dominated government feel that number would be unreasonable. Sunnis, who boycotted the December elections [JURIST news archive], won only 17 seats in the country's parliament. The interim Iraqi constitution sets a tentative deadline of August 15 for the drafting process, although a one six-month extension can be sought before August 1. IOL has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN General Assembly approves Palestine partition plan

The UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution Resolution 181 (II) on November 29, 1947, recommending that the British Mandate for Palestine be split into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone for Jerusalem. The vote in the assembly was 33 for to 13 against, with 10 abstentions. The resolution sparked a war between Palestinian Arabs and Jews in 1947 and a wider war after Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon invaded the new State of Israel in 1948. Read Resolution 181 (II).

UN divided Palestine between Arabs and Jews

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab territories, leading to the establishment of a Jewish state the following year. Read UN General Assembly Resolution 181.

Defense Secretary Robert McNamara resigns during Vietnam Conflict

On November 29, 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced that he was resigning from his office to accept an appointment as head of the World Bank. The announcement came as the Vietnam Conflict was becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States and abroad.