Bush sticking to Iraq constitution timetable News
Bush sticking to Iraq constitution timetable

[JURIST] In a White House press conference [transcript] Friday with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari [Wikipedia profile], President Bush reiterated his goal of sticking to the scheduled timetable for a permannet Iraqi constitution which contemplates completion of a a draft by August 15, a referendum on the draft by October 15, and a new election under the constitution by December 15:

…the only timetable that I think is going to — that I know is out there is the timetable that says let's have the constitution written by a certain date, and let's have it ratified by a certain date, and let's have the election by a certain date. That's the timetable. And we're going to stay on that timetable. And it's important for the Iraqi people to know we are.
The President's statement comes after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a similar declaration [JURIST report] Thursday in a Senate Armed Services Committee [official website] hearing, commenting that a delay in Iraq's adoption of a constitution would be "an enormous disservice" while "coalition people are being killed. Iraqis are being killed."