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Iraq leader sees progress on constitution front

Prime minister says difference can be resolved in 3 days

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's interim prime minister said Tuesday that lawmakers have made great strides in writing the country's new constitution and have been able to bridge gaps on many issues.

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari told reporters that he thought negotiators would be able to meet a self-imposed three-day deadline to resolve remaining differences on the document.

Lawmakers completed a draft of the constitution and submitted it to the Iraqi National Assembly minutes before a deadline was to expire at midnight Monday. But a vote to approve the constitution was held off till Thursday.

The delay was the second in as many weeks. A first deadline passed August 15, with the assembly voting for a one-week extension.

"Although there are many differences, I think we are going to overcome them ... in the next few days," al-Jaafari said in remarks translated from Arabic.

In an effort to reach consensus among all groups -- Shiite Arabs, Kurds, Sunni Arabs and others -- lawmakers are working to resolve a couple of sticking points and could amend the document.

Al-Jaafari said framers have so far agreed to more than 150 articles covering issues involving the federal government, human rights and women's rights.

Federalism, the term used for a government that allows autonomous regions, has been the most contentious issue.

Many Sunnis oppose the idea of regions and want one Iraq.

Kurds want to keep their autonomous region in the north, and some Shiites have begun to raise the issue of an autonomous area in the south.

The prime minister, a Shiite, said federalism is part of the constitution and will be protected by democracy.

Al-Jaafari said the autonomous Kurdish region already exists and that every area in Iraq should have the same right to benefit from federalism.

Another sticking point is de-Baathification, the effort to remove all vestiges of Saddam Hussein's regime and the Baath Party.

Disagreement has arisen over whether the constitution should mention Saddam and the Baathists.

A referendum on the constitution has been set for no later than October 15. If the referendum passes, Iraqis will vote to elect a permanent government at the end of the year.

"Iraqi people will judge this constitution. This constitution is a reflection of what is going on in real life," al-Jaafari said.

Al-Jaafari noted that it takes a lot of work and time to reach agreements on the many issues the constitution addresses and said Iraqis could not have resolved the many disputes in the process without goodwill.

Sunnis, who have raised a number of concerns over the document -- particularly the notion of a federal governmental system that would allow autonomous regions -- are participating in the discussions, al-Jaafari said.

That group, which prevailed politically under Saddam, boycotted the January elections leading to the formation of the interim government. Having the support of the Sunnis is seen as key to the success of the constitution and Iraq's new government.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, said Monday that the draft was supported by two-thirds of the commission responsible for writing the constitution, including some Sunni members.

American reaction to the Iraqi effort has been positive, even though the United States has urged lawmakers to stick to deadlines.

Dan Bartlett, a counselor to President Bush, told CNN's "American Morning" that "a quantum leap is being made in Iraq," but he stressed the importance of keeping to a time frame to build grass-roots support in the political process.

"Is it a perfect document? Absolutely not," Bartlett said. "Our own constitution wasn't perfect when we passed it. We're continuing making amendments to our own constitution.

"It's a dynamic process, but it's a critical process that is recognizing the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people, and that's something the American people can be proud of. "

Other developments

A suicide bomber struck a government office Tuesday in Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, killing seven people, including a U.S. soldier, an American civilian contractor and five Iraqis, the U.S. military said. Among the wounded were nine U.S. soldiers, an American contractor, six Iraqi civilians and four Iraqi police officers.

A roadside bomb killed a U.S. Marine during combat operations Monday near Falluja, west of Baghdad, and a soldier died in a rocket attack in the Iraqi capital. The U.S. military also reported that two soldiers were killed and two others wounded in a bombing Monday in Samarra, north of Baghdad. The number of U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war stands at 1,870.

Gunmen in three cars opened fire Monday on a minivan in the northern Baghdad suburb of Tarmya, killing eight police officers and three civilians, police said.

CNN's Aneesh Raman contributed to this report.

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