BAGHDAD: Iraqi MPs are facing three days of exhausting negotiations as they seek to meet a make-or-break on Monday deadline for agreeing a new draft constitution. The deadline for parliament’s final approval of the draft is August 15, but under current rules, MPs on the constitutional committee must announce by Monday evening whether or not they need a six-month extension to reach a deal.

MPs on the constitutional committee and representatives from leading political organizations are to meet around the clock from Saturday to Monday in a bid to hammer out differences which, by some accounts, remain huge.

To date, the 71 members of the committee have not even agreed on a name for the country with suggestions ranging from “Republic of Iraq” to “Federal Republic of Iraq”, or even “Federal Islamic Republic of Iraq”.

“Monday is the last day to ask for an extension and I’m not optimistic we can reach a deal by then,” said Munther Al-Fadhal, an Arab MP elected on a Kurdish party list.

The chairman of the committee, Sheikh Humam Hammudi, who had earlier suggested the constitution was nearly a done deal, Wednesday signalled trouble when he announced he would be calling an emergency meeting of religious, ethnic and political leaders to thrash out remaining differences.

The meeting would take place next week, he said, giving no details.

The main stumbling blocks concern the issue of federalism and how revenues are be shared between the central government and the regions, Fadhal said. But other hurdles illustrate further disagreements between secular and clerical factions, with some Muslim hardliners rejecting the idea of a UN-inspired bill of rights in the constitution on the grounds that it might legitimize homosexuality.

“I doubt the constitution will be drafted in time,” said Saleh Al-Mutlaq, spokesman for the Sunni National Dialogue Council which has representatives on the committee.

“And I doubt it can be done with a six-month extension because things are so complicated,” he added. Mahmud Othman, another Kurdish member of the committee, for his part accused the United States of putting pressure on members to reach a deal.

Visiting US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld shocked some Iraqis with his bluntness when on Wednesday he told those involved with drafting the basic law to “get on with it”.

“Americans are just interested in fast-food and a fast constitution,” Othman said.

Mariam Al-Rayes, a committee member and Shiite-based Alliance MP, suggested last-minute bickering was part and parcel of the debate.

“Personally speaking, I’m optimistic because until last night we were making progress in the talks,” she said Friday as MPs took the day off for religious observance.

“As far as Kurdish demands for a federal state are concerned, there aren’t any big remaining differences,” she said.

Other members pointed out however that the status of the oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk remained a major problem, with Kurds insisting it be included in their autonomous region.

And there were major disagreements on whether more federal regions should be created as Shias in the south of the country, where much of Iraq’s oil-production is centred, demanded their own region and Sunni Arabs warned this could lead to a break-up of the country.

Decisions within the committee are meant to be reached by consensus.

The speaker of parliament, Hajim Al-Hasani, said he was confident MPs would adopt the draft constitution with minimal debate if the committee could reach agreement.

“The August 15 date could be flexible by a few days,” he said.

But “of course, we must need to stick to a date,” he then hastily added.

Failure to agree would “send a negative signal to the Iraqis and to the rest of the world,” Hasani also said.

“What’s needed are some tough compromises,” according to one western diplomat for whom extending the debate would be “a terrible idea”.

“The issues aren’t going to get any easier to deal with in February than they are in late August. In fact, they might get harder,” he added.—AFP