Iraqi leaders charged with writing the country's postwar constitution on Monday admitted they had failed to reach final agreement and won an extension from parliament extending the deadline by a week.
Hachim al-Hassani, speaker of Iraq's parliament, said the constitutional committee had made progress but had failed to conclude a final text in time for Monday's original deadline.
“We have reached agreements on many topics,” he told a special midnight session of parliament. “Some matters are still pending. Despite all efforts, we have not been able to reach agreements that please everyone.”
The negotiations have been dogged by differences over federalism and the role of Islam in determining the legal system. Parliament passed a resolution amending the Transitional Administrative Law, which governs the drafting process, extending the deadline for completing the document to August 22. Had the amendment not been passed, the TAL would have required parliament to be dissolved and new elections held.
Iraqi leaders have been under intense US pressure to produce a draft on time, and some legislators had suggested that an incomplete document might be offered for a vote, with key points filled in later.
However, President George W. Bush last night applauded what he called “the heroic efforts of Iraqi negotiators”. “Their efforts are a tribute to democracy and an example that difficult problems can be solved peacefully through debate, negotiation, and compromise,” he said in a statement.
Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, said she was confident that, despite the delay, the Iraqis would complete the constitution and move forward with the election of a permanent government at the end of the year.
Iraqi politicians had issued dozens of conflicting statements before Monday's deadline on whether the three main ethnic and sectarian groups, the Shia, Kurds, and Sunni Arabs, had overcome longstanding disputes.
Even if the mainly Islamist Shia bloc and the secular-leaning Kurds were able to overcome their differences, however, it was unclear how the demands of Sunni who oppose enshrining the principle of federalism in the document could be met.
It remained unclear last night how much progress had been made in resolving these key outstanding issues. According to Iraqi legislators, Shia-Kurdish disagreements included the powers of the central government, oil resources, womens' rights, the role of Islam, and whether or not the Kurds should have the right to “self-determination,” or secession, if the central government violated the constitution at a later date.
Additional reporting by Dhiya Rasan, Awadh al-Taiee and Demetri Sevastopulo
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