Who would draft the referendum language?
Because Iraq is a sovereign nation, the referendum text is best drafted by Iraqis. Among the issues to be decided are: • Whether the timetable for withdrawal should be within 6 months of the vote, 12 months, or some other time period • Whether or not to request a temporary U.N. peacekeeping force to help maintain stability (e.g., as outlined in U.S. House Resolution 1234) • Whether to continue U.S. training of Iraqi police and security forces (e.g., outside the territory of Iraq) • Whether to include an exemption for troops defending the U.S. embassy, which employs thousands of government and contract workers12 One approach might be for the Iraqi government to appoint a nonpartisan task force to draft the referendum text, working with Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission and using the last national referendum as a procedural precedent.
