01 March 2004	Monday	09 Muharram 1425

BAGHDAD, Feb 29: Iraq's Governing Council has decided to put off until Wednesday the signing of an interim constitution after lawmakers missed a February 28 deadline amid divisions over federalism and the role of Islam.

A senior official with the US-led coalition said on Sunday the signing of the document, set to guide Iraq over the next year, was being delayed until after Ashura.

"I would think the document could be finished today if they get down to it and work hard," the official said. "But there will be no signing ceremony before the end of Ashura, which probably means Wednesday," he said.

Another senior coalition official said plans were being made for a possible announcement of a deal later on Sunday, but stressed that negotiations were still going on.

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

It is also expected to enshrine an Iraqi bill of rights, civilian control of the Iraqi army and freedom of religion. The 25-member body met late into the night but failed to reach a consensus. Coalition officials said the negotiations were spirited and at times heated, but always respectful.

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

The Council, which brings together leaders from Iraq's various ethnic and religious groups, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Turkmen, reconvened on Sunday afternoon and was set to meet late into the evening again.

During discussions on Friday, several Shia 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. -Reuters