Iraq constitution committee chief says drafting 80% done, deadline will be met News
Iraq constitution committee chief says drafting 80% done, deadline will be met

[JURIST] Hammam Hammoudi, head of the drafting committee for the permanent Iraqi constitution [JURIST news archive], has said that 80% of the draft is completed and he anticipates the August 15 target date will be met with a national ratification referendum to follow as scheduled in October. An arbitration committee has been created to deal with conflicting issues that remain, such as the decision on whether to include the word "federation" in the constitution or revert back to the Iraqi Republic title. Hammoudi's announcement comes two days after President Bush said he was sticking to the August 15 draft deadline [JURIST report]. The drafting commission includes 55 Shiites and Kurds and 15 Sunnis who were added last week [JURIST report]. UPI has more.