IRAQ: Members of Iraq's constitutional committee have agreed to abide by a deadline of August 15th to produce a draft document, in spite of glaring outstanding differences over the role of Islam in the country's basic law and the future shape of the Iraqi state.
Under mounting US pressure for a "national compact", the main Shia, Sunni and Kurdish groupings on the 71-member committee apparently decided that their differences would not be any easier to overcome with more time.
Human Hamoudi, the committee chairman and a Shia cleric, said yesterday that no extension would be necessary to produce a workable document.
The committee has nevertheless been deadlocked over fundamental issues, including the role of Islam as a source of legislation, Iraq's relationship with the Arab world and how to define "federalism" within Iraq.
Shia members had indicated that they might seek a 30-day extension to the drafting period, while Sunni and Kurdish members have also expressed doubts over whether the August 15th deadline could be met.
US officials, including new US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, have urged the Iraqis to overcome their differences and stick to the timetable laid out in the Transitional Administrative Law, or TAL. This is the provisional constitution drafted under US guidance to guide Iraq through its transition.
The parliament must approve the final draft by mid-August to proceed towards an October referendum. Acceptance of the constitution would be followed by elections for a new government before the end of the year. - (Financial Times service)