Special Summit Set On Charter for Iraq

WaPo reports Drafters of a new constitution have summoned leaders of Iraqi religious, ethnic and political blocs to an emergency national summit this week in an attempt to hash out the toughest, deadlocking issues in reshaping the country, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Tuesday. U.S. officials in Washington said the gathering will take place Thursday and Friday, if enough leaders -- particularly members of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority -- agree. Humam Hamoudi, chairman of the constitution-writing committee, has called for the forum, and U.S. officials said the aim is to bring in leaders from outside the committee, particularly Sunni Arabs. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. Sunni Arab delegates returned to the committee meetings Tuesday after a week-long boycott. But it remained clear that the major divisive issue was federalism, which Sunni participants charge would break up the country.... The attempt to draw new participants was intended to give additional impetus to the process, officials said. "There is a notion that they can get it done by August 15, so there is a big push to have big leaders involved so there is no posturing inside the constitutional committee to make life difficult," said a senior Iraqi official familiar with the talks. Leaders of "all groups and political parties and the groups which are represented in the National Assembly" should participate in the constitutional summit this week, said Kamran Qaradaghi, spokesman for Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. Talabani would likely be among the participants, Qaradaghi said.

I am happy that progress still seems to being made, even if by fits and starts, toward the writing of a constitution that all can accept.