Iraqi constitution meeting postponed

A key meeting of political leaders called together to hammer out differences in the draft Iraqi constitution has been postponed until Sunday, the president’s office said today.

A statement by President Jalal Talabani’s office said the meeting, originally scheduled for today, had been postponed by two days. The statement did not say why the meeting was delayed.

The gathering had been called by constitutional committee chairman Humam Hammoudi at the beginning of the week, when he promised the National Assembly that the draft charter would be ready by the August 15 deadline, provided the country’s political leaders reached compromises on key outstanding issues.

Despite completing about 90% of the document, the committee, which includes Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds, had bogged down over a handful of issues which each faction considered vital to its vision of the new Iraq including federalism, the role of Islam, and distribution of national wealth.

The Sunday meeting will bring together leaders from the Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish political communities.

US leaders, who pushed hard for the committee not to seek an extension on completing the charter, consider the constitutional process vital to maintain political momentum, undermine the insurgency and pave the way for the withdrawal of troops next year.