Iraq parliament extends constitution deadline
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-08-16 08:21

Iraq's parliament agreed on Monday to allow an extra week for negotiations on a constitution after politicians asked for more time to reach a deal, Reuters reported.

With less than 20 minutes to go until time was to run out at midnight (2000 GMT), parliament voted to extend the deadline for a draft constitution to be drawn up, by a week to August 22.

Iraq's National Assembly votes unanimously for a seven-day extension for the constitution draft on the eve of the original deadline in Baghdad August 15, 2005.[Reuters]

Negotiators on the committee drawing up the constitution had asked for even more time -- 10 days -- to settle disputes over a number of issues, notably the extent to which federal regions will have autonomy. But parliament's speaker proposed a week-long extension and the assembly approved this.

The delay is a blow to efforts by U.S. diplomats who have been shepherding the talks and to Washington's hopes that a timely agreement, reaching across sectarian and ethnic divides, could help undermine the insurgency among the Sunni minority.

As Iraqi leaders sought to put a brave face on the delay, Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said the main obstacles to a deal were the issues of federalism and revenue sharing.

Iraq's leader of the constitution draft committee Humam Hamoudi, left, speaks with Shiite United Iraqi Allies' political leader Sami al- Majoun during a meeting with the National Assembly on the eve of the constitution draft deadline, Monday, Aug. 15, 2005, in Baghdad, Iraq. [AP]

U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad was present in parliament but left without speaking to reporters.

"This delay will not shake the confidence of the Iraqi people, which stands behind its parliament," said President Jalal Talabani, who has chaired intensive talks this past week.

"Come on, this is a success," said Barham Saleh, a Kurdish minister in the interim coalition government. "We're not killing each other."

Earlier, two explosions rattled Baghdad after dark, sounding like insurgent mortar fire, as leaders talked in secret session.

The deadline of August 15 was set down in the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), an interim constitution sponsored by the U.S. occupying power 18 months ago.

The legality of the 11th hour extension, discussed throughout the day, had been questioned by some legislators. But few politicians supported the alternative -- dissolving parliament and calling new elections, which many fear could worsen instability.

BRINKMANSHIP

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari (C) discusses the new constitution with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (R) and Shi'ite leader Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim at the prime minister's office in Baghdad August 14, 2005.[Reuters]

Sunni Arabs, whose community dominated Iraq under Saddam Hussein and before, have been fighting efforts from the Shi'ites now dominating the interim government to secure the prospect for the oil-rich Shi'ite south of the sort of regional autonomy already enjoyed de facto by Kurds in the north.

Previous tentative deals on issues such as the distribution of natural resources came apart as factions engaged in hard-nosed brinkmanship as the initial midnight deadline loomed.

Shi'ite Islamist calls for Islam to have a bigger role in Iraqi law have also been a source of friction, though there was no specific mention of this after the parliamentary vote.

Quite how homogenous and representative of their communities the negotiating teams are is unclear, leaving plenty of scope for popular opposition to any deal, which must be put to a referendum in mid-October.

U.S. President George W. Bush and his active Baghdad envoy Khalilzad had made clear they placed great store in producing a constitution on time. But despite days of prolonged talks, negotiators were unable to reach agreement.

Many Iraqi leaders and the White House have been portraying a deal on a constitution as a way to undermine the Sunni revolt. New elections, by contrast, could inflame passions.

Insurgent violence kills several people a day, though there has been something of a lull in recent days in major attacks. A suicide bomber attacked a Baghdad restaurant popular with police officers on Monday but managed only to wound 11 people.

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