IRAQ: The following are the main points, according to officials in the US-led administration and Iraqis who took part in the talks:
Elections
The document says elections must be held by the end of 2004 or early 2005 to pick a transitional government that will oversee the drafting of a permanent constitution.
It says the elected government will have a president, deputies to the president and a cabinet of ministers.
The structure of a presidency has been contested, with some council members suggesting a presidency of three to five members, reflecting the demographic weight of majority Shias.
The role of Islam
The transitional constitution recognises Islam as the official religion of Iraq. It says Islam would be a source for legislation but not the primary source.
"The language on Islam and the state effectively says that this won't compromise individual rights or democratic principles," a senior coalition official said.
Bill of rights
Officials say the constitution includes a bill of rights guaranteeing personal freedoms including freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
Representation of women
The target for representation of women in a forthcoming transitional assembly is 25 per cent. The document "mandates an electoral system that strives to represent all segments of Iraq, with specific and explicit reference to women and a percentage goal," the senior coalition official said.
Federalism
Officials say the constitution agrees a federal structure for Iraq, as had been demanded by Kurds who have ruled northern Iraq as an autonomous zone since the 1991 Gulf War. But the document leaves until a permanent constitution a ruling on the exact status of areas which Kurds argue belong to the Kurdish north and were gerrymandered into neighbouring provinces by Saddam Hussein's government as a form of ethnic cleansing.
Private militias
The coalition official said the language of the constitution was in line with "our policy to ultimately wind down and prohibit independent security organisations", a reference to militias like those of the Kurds and some Shia parties. But Kurdish officials say there is a provision that allows Kurds to maintain their peshmerga militias for the moment. - (Reuters)