Iraqi leaders continue debate on constitution, US says process "on track" News
Iraqi leaders continue debate on constitution, US says process "on track"

[JURIST] Iraqi leaders continued to work on hammering out the final details of their new Constitution Thursday, with a Monday deadline looming over the talks. Debates over federalism and the role of a centralized government [JURIST report] are still a key stumbling block, although it's unclear if this clash will result in a delay in the process. Some Shiite leaders are demanding the same sort of autonomy now given to the Kurds; opponents say such decentralization will lead to a harmful divide across the country. Despite the ongoing disputes, a US State Department spokesman said the recent discussions are "moving forward" and "the political process in Iraq is on track" [press briefing transcript; AFP report]. The State Department also said that other key issues still being resolved include rights issues and issues of resource sharing. If the constitution meets the August 15 deadline for completion, a national referendum to approve the constitution will be held October 15 with general government elections later in December. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Ku Klux Klan founded

The US hate group known as the Ku Klux Klan was founded on December 24, 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee as a reaction to reconstruction efforts following the Union victory in the American Civil War. The group would later become notorious for its attacks on Black Americans, being targeted by the Enforcement Act of 1871, which imposed civil and criminal liability for deprivation of constitutional rights. Read the Enforcement Act of 1871.  

Hamid Karzai born

On December 24, 1957, Hamid Karzai was born in Karz, Afghanistan. He would go on to become in 2004 his country's first elected president after the end of Taliban rule in 2001.