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Iraq constitution: Panel agrees to conclude work by mid-August

* No decision to extend Iraqi constitution deadline

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s constitutional panel agreed on Sunday to conclude its work by mid-August to allow parliament to vote on a draft basic law, committee member Munther Al-Fadhal told the news agency.

“There will be no delay. We should put the draft to parliament by August 15,” he said.

Members of the constitutional committee have been unable to agree on several key points, but are required to decide by Monday whether to ask for a six-month extension to finish their work.

Committee members also want top political leaders to meet this week to help resolve outstanding differences on the charter that will lay down the legal and political framework for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, Fadhal said.

Committee chairman Sheikh Humam Hammudi said on Wednesday he would be calling a national conference this week to iron out remaining differences on the draft. Unresolved issues include federalism and the role of Islam in the constitution.

President Jalal Talabani on Sunday also spoke out in favour of a national conference.

Government spokesman Leith Kubba suggested Sunday that committee members might send to the full parliament those articles they were agreed on and discuss outstanding problems at a later stage.

“I’ve heard from the chairman of the committee and from some other active members that a large number of articles have been agreed to,” he told a news conference. “Others items not agreed to, I think, could be postponed until some later stage... for adoption under quieter circumstances,” he said. At the same time, members of an Iraqi committee charged with drafting a new constitution said on Sunday no decision had yet been taken on whether to request an extension to the deadline for drawing up the document.

Any extension must be requested before Aug 1 and if no application is made for an extension, then a draft of the document is due to be presented to Iraq’s parliament by Aug 15. A senior Shia member of the committee, Bahaa al-Araji, said no decision had yet been taken on requesting an extension. “There is an idea to delay it for 30 days but this decision has not been finalised,” he told the news agency. “The meeting is still going on.” agencies

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