IRAQ: Iraqi politicians said yesterday they were confident of reaching agreement on a draft constitution by the newly extended deadline of August 22nd, despite a host of last-minute disagreements, including some on issues that had reportedly been resolved weeks before.
After marathon debates on Monday, the National Assembly voted in a special midnight session to amend the transitional administrative law governing the drafting of a permanent constitution, giving itself an extra week to produce a draft.
"We should not be hasty regarding the issues, and the constitution should not be born crippled," said Ibrahim al-Jaafari, prime minister and member of the Shia Islamist al-Dawa party, shortly after Monday's brief parliamentary session. However, he also said the deadline should not be extended again.
Monday evening appeared to witness the unravelling of earlier agreements, with politicians emerging from meetings to tell reporters that issues thought to have been resolved days ago were still on the table.
One focus of disagreement between Iraq's three main ethnic and sectarian blocs - the Shia, Kurds and Sunni Arabs - centred on the relationship of religion to the state, including the rights of women and whether or not the constitution should mention the role of the Shia clergy.
Several weeks ago, Shia leaders said they agreed with the Kurds that the transitional law's language on religion was sufficient - that Islam be "a source" of legislation. Last weekend, however, Shia leaders said they wanted Islam to be "the basic source of legislation", and that "no law should contradict its tenets and principles" - language the secular-leaning Kurds believe could be used to impose Shia religious law on the country.
Other disputes centred on Iraq's future federal structure, including the distribution of oil revenues and whether Kurds should have a future right to secede.
Last Thursday, Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri), the country's most powerful Shia party, demanded that the predominantly Shia south be turned into an autonomous federal region.
However, this declaration was fiercely opposed by Sunni Arabs, many of whom fear that autonomy for the oil-rich north and south would leave the Sunni heartland starved of revenues.
Saleh al-Mutlak, one prominent Sunni Arab on the drafting committee, has called for the issue of federalism to be left for a future National Assembly. The Sunni are heavily under-represented in parliament.
In addition to the three main Iraqi blocs, both Washington and reportedly Tehran, which has close ties with Sciri, have involved themselves in the talks.
The US believes the approval of a constitution will maintain political momentum that would in turn undercut the insurgency.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Iraq, met Iraqi officials frequently urging that the constitution protect the rights of women and minorities.
Iran reportedly believes it has vital security interests in the country, while many Iraqis claim that Tehran supports a Shia federal region in order to extend its influence in the south.
However, one source close to the negotiations said that Sciri's constant consultations with Iranian officials complicated inter-Iraqi talks. "We could have a constitution within a couple of days if we cut the phone lines between Baghdad and Tehran," the source said. - (Financial Times service)