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Iraq's interim constitution delayed

Iraq's Governing Council, trying to bridge deep divides to agree an interim constitution, has decided to put off the signing of the document at least until Wednesday, a senior official in the US-led coalition said.

"I would think the document could be finished today if they get down to it and work hard," the official said yesterday.

"But there will be no signing ceremony before the end of Ashura, which probably means Wednesday," he said, referring to the religious festival that marks the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

The US-appointed Council on Saturday failed to meet a midnight deadline for drawing up the provisional document, which is to give a framework for a transitional government set to take power on June 30, and at least touch on contested issues such as the role of Islam and Kurdish autonomy demands.

The 25-member body met late into the night, until after 3am yesterday morning, but failed to reach an agreement. Coalition officials described the negotiations as spirited and at times heated, but always respectful.

Paul Bremer, the US administrator of Iraq, and Britain's envoy to the country, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, worked with the Council during the discussions, nudging the talks along and guiding the debate, the coalition official said.

Finalizing the document will mark a crucial step in the process of US authorities handing sovereignty back to an Iraqi government by a June 30 deadline agreed last November.

The Council, which brings together leaders from Iraq's various ethnic and religious groups, including Shi'ites, Sunnis, Kurds and Turkmen, was due to reconvene at around 11am yesterday, initially meeting in separate groups.

A full meeting of the Council would begin later yesterday and talks could again drag on late into the night.

"I think they could get the document done today if they wanted, but they might have to work into the night a bit," the official said, adding that it was clear from Saturday's talks that the Council was determined to get the job done.

During discussions on Friday, several Shiite members of the Council walked out, angered by the cancellation of a previous ruling that would have made divorce and inheritance subject to the rulings of religious law.

Other sticking points have included defining the role of women in a future Iraqi government, with some Council members pushing for the constitution to set out a specific quota for the number of female representatives or parliamentarians.

There has also been furious debate over federalism, with Kurds, who have effectively had self-rule in three northern provinces of Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War, pushing to enshrine and possibly expand that autonomy in the document.

Kurdish is expected to be named as an official language alongside Arabic, but there was still debate about such nuances as putting Kurdish in curriculums outside of Kurdish areas.

Islam is expected to be named as the official religion when the document, which runs to about 25 pages and will have between 50 and 60 articles, is finalized, but it is still unclear to what extent Iraq's judiciary would draw on the religion.
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