[JURIST] There were indications Saturday that Iraq's constitutional committee [official website] would resolve major issues and submit a draft constitution [JURIST news archive] before the Monday August 15 deadline. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told reporters that the committee had reached a tentative agreement on the issue of oil wealth distribution, and expressed optimism that the committee would resolve major issues such as federalism, the creation of Shiite Muslim areas, and the role of Islam in Iraqi law [JURIST report], and submit the draft to the National Assembly on Sunday, one day early. On Friday, committee members returned to the table to negotiate after Sunni Arab leaders rejected a Shiite federal region proposal [JURIST report]. AP has more.