Iraqis on track to finish new constitution, US official says
Iraq-USA, Politics, 8/11/2005

The political process is on track in Iraq, and the constitutional committee is committed to meeting its goal of completing a draft constitution by August 15, according to the US State Department's deputy spokesman, Adam Ereli.

"The constitutional committee is hard at work drafting a constitution... It wants to meet the August 15th deadline. We're doing everything we can to support them, as are the other partners of Iraq -- the U.N. and the international community," Ereli said at an August 10 State Department briefing.

According to the provisions of Iraq's Transitional Administrative Law, the constitutional committee must draft a proposed constitution by August 15, and the document will be submitted to the Iraqi voters for approval in a national referendum October 15.

There has been speculation about whether the committee would be able to complete its task by the August 15 deadline given numerous delays and disagreements over several key points in the document, but Ereli said that the Iraqis are making progress.

There are "difficult, tough questions to address; issues of federalism, issues of rights, issues of resource sharing. These are all questions that the Iraqis are debating, discussing," he said. "[I]t is our understanding that these discussions have been productive; they're moving forward."

He said that the Iraqis have sought and received advice and support from U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.N. special representative in Iraq and advisers from other countries. While he characterized the work of the committee as a "consultative process" drawing on the expertise of many outside sources, he stressed that "the final product will be the result of Iraqi deliberations... and will reflect Iraqi priorities, Iraqi concerns and Iraqi values."

If the Iraqi voters accept the new constitution in the October 15 referendum, it will serve as the basis for a new round of national elections December 15 and become the charter for a new constitutional government.

Previous Stories:
  Pentagon to increase forces in Iraq   (8/10/2005)
  U.S. envoy outlines Iraq's compact with America   (8/9/2005)
  New al-Qaida threats will not deter United States, Bush says   (8/5/2005)

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