But as violence raged in the Sunni Triangle, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council said it would be possible to draft a constitution and hold elections in the country before the end of next year.
"We can't commit to a precise calendar, but we think it's possible by the end of 2004 at the latest to finish our work: drafting a constitution, conducting a census and putting in an elected government," Mohsen Abdel Hamid told reporters during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council adopted a new resolution, which gives the council until Dec. 15 to set a timetable for carrying out the steps.
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