An Aug. 15 article describing negotiations on Iraq's constitution incorrectly identified a Fox News journalist who interviewed U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. The journalist was Chris Wallace, not Chris Matthews.
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On Eve of Deadline, Key Disputes Remain On Iraqi Constitution
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That position was strongly opposed Sunday by a few dozen female protesters concerned that deference to Islamic law would leave them vulnerable, particularly in the area of family law, where most interpretations of Islam accord many advantages to men. The protesters packed the convention center in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone Sunday afternoon, waving signs and chanting, "Our rights for our votes."
Reflecting the distance that must be bridged to complete the constitution, the National Assembly session scheduled for Monday morning was pushed back to 6 p.m., by which time constitutional committee leaders hope to submit a draft.
If the constitution is not completed Monday, the National Assembly must be dissolved, according to the terms of the Transitional Administrative Law, the interim constitution. But Hussain Shahristani, deputy speaker of the assembly, said the body would consider a vote to amend the transitional law to allow for more time.
U.S. officials have made clear they expect the Monday deadline to be met.
"They have resolved most of the issues that divided them when they started the process. And they've got a couple of issues left, and they are going to meet again late this evening with the expectation that they will achieve success and they will have a draft ready by the end of the day tomorrow," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told Fox News's Chris Matthews.
Several constitution-related demonstrations were staged in the country Sunday. In the north, Kurds in Kirkuk gathered to demand that the oil-rich city be incorporated into the boundaries of greater Kurdistan. In Tikrit, another northern city, Sunni religious and militia leaders encouraged residents to register to vote in the upcoming referendum on the charter.
Elsewhere, U.S. investigators were slating a second phase of tests on chemicals and equipment seized Tuesday at an illicit lab in Mosul, said Col. Henry Franke, a nuclear, biological and chemical defense officer. Franke said U.S. investigators were questioning detainees in connection with the lab.
Also Sunday, U.S. forces released Mustafa Yaqoubi, a Shiite cleric whose arrest last year sparked clashes between the military and the Mahdi Army, a militia loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, according to a spokesman for Sadr.
Correspondent Ellen Knickmeyer and special correspondents Naseer Nouri in Baghdad and Saad Sarhan in Najaf contributed to this report.
