Iraqi factions negotiate over constitution
(AP)
Updated: 2005-08-22 16:38

With a midnight deadline just hours away, Iraq's disparate political factions met in search of compromise Monday on the issues holding up a draft constitution — federalism, the distribution of oil wealth and the role of religion in the new Iraq, reported AP.

The initial Aug. 15 deadline was pushed back a week after no agreement was reached. Iraqi officials have insisted they would meet this second deadline and present a final document to the National Assembly, which is dominated by Shiites and Kurds.

Negotiators for all three communities — Shiites, Kurds and Sunni Arabs — met in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone for a new round of talks Monday. Shiite politician Khaled al-Attiyah said the political leaders "have tentatively agreed that the National Assembly would meet" Monday evening.

An Iraqi woman with children walks past the posters encouraging Iraqis to vote for the new constitution in a national referendum on Oct. 15, as a British soldier holds his position on a vehicle roof, in southern city of Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) from Baghdad, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2005.[AP]

Parliament will either receive the draft of the new charter or vote on setting a new deadline. If it doesn't agree on either, the legislature will have to dissolve.

Issues holding up agreement on the pact include federalism, the distribution of Iraq's oil wealth, power sharing questions among the provinces and the role of the Shiite clerical hierarchy.

"I am not optimistic," Kamal Hamdoun, a Sunni negotiator, said Sunday.

But Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, said 97 percent of the draft had been completed and he predicted the document would be forwarded to parliament on time.

Government spokesman Laith Kubba said there were two options if political leaders fail to complete the draft: amend the interim constitution again and extend the deadline or dissolve parliament.

On Sunday, Sunni representatives on the drafting committee appealed to the United States and United Nations to prevent Shiites and Kurds from pushing a draft through parliament without their consent, warning it would only worsen the crisis in Iraq.

They said they were sticking by their opposition to federalism and other demands.

A Sunni backlash could complicate the U.S. strategy of using the political process to lure members of the minority away from the Sunni-dominated insurgency. Washington hopes that a constitution, followed by general elections in December, will enable the United States and its international partners to begin removing troops next year.

Shiites and Kurds have enough seats in parliament to win approval for a draft without the Sunni Arabs. But the Sunni minority could scuttle the constitution when voters decide whether to ratify it in the Oct. 15 referendum. Under current rules, the constitution would be defeated if it is opposed by two-thirds of the voters in three of Iraq's 18 provinces. Sunni Arabs form the majority in at least four.

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