Federalism remains sticking point for Iraqi constitution

Shiite negotiators have offered their final compromise offer to the Sunnis and Kurds to break the impasse over the new Iraqi constitution, a member of the Shiite committee said today.

“We have given the latest draft and we hope they respond today,” said Abbas al-Bayati. “We cannot offer more than that concerning” federalism and efforts to remove top members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath party from government and political posts.

He said the Shiites had proposed the parliament to be elected in December be given the right to issue a law on the mechanism of implementing federalism.

Sadoun Zubaydi, a Sunni member of the drafting committee, said the Sunnis would have to see the fine points of the Shiite proposal first. If the proposal did not make concessions on the principle of federalism but only the mechanism, this would not meet Sunni demands.