Iraqi Parliament Hopes To Meet Constitution Deadline

The pressure is on the constitutional committee 25 July 2005 -- The Iraqi parliament is still hoping that a draft constitution will be ready for debate by the 25 July deadline, despite a delay caused by a Sunni Arab boycott.

National Assembly speaker Hajim al-Hasani told AFP that the constitutional committee will be under pressure over the next six days to get an agreement.

If the committee succeeds in completing the draft on time, it will then be debated by the full legislature before a 15 August vote after which it will be put to a referendum two months later.

The drafting committee's work was delayed for a week after Sunni Arab members launched a boycott of the committee in protest at the killing of two of their colleagues.

(AFP)

See also:

Sunnis May Return To Iraqi Constitutional Process

Sunni Arabs End Boycott Of Iraq's Constitutional Committee