Impasse Delays Draft of Iraqi Constitution

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ALEX CHADWICK, host:

From NPR West, this is DAY TO DAY. I'm Alex Chadwick.

Coming up, the latest from Gaza, where Israeli troops today are serving eviction notices on Jewish settlers.

First, the lead, Iraq, which set today as the deadline for at least an agreed draft of a constitution. There are just hours left in this day in Baghdad and no deal yet. The New York Times' Dexter Filkins joins us from Baghdad.

Dexter, what is the latest?

Mr. DEXTER FILKINS (The New York Times): Well, the deadline is today, but it's a self-imposed deadline. I mean, if they missed it, it probably wouldn't be the end of the world and they wouldn't all, you know, turn into pumpkins or anything. But they're all trying to finish it and have pledged to finish the constitution today. And actually, people are coming out now, some of the Iraqi leaders, and saying that they will finish it and they will submit it today to the National Assembly, which has to vote on it for it to be final and then, of course, submit it to the Iraqi voters in October. But they're saying that they're hopeful they'll be able to do it today.

CHADWICK: What's the break? What happened?

Mr. FILKINS: Well, it's not clear. I mean, the short answer is that the very senior political party leaders in the country--there's maybe 40 or 50 of them--are all crowded into a single room at the moment--Massoud Barzani's house. He's one of the big political leaders here, a former guerrilla fighter from Kurdistan--and they're just--they're hashing it out. And I think what's going to happen--I mean, I'm speculating here, but this is what people have been telling me--is that some of the really difficult issues, like how much federal control various regions are going to have, which really are important, and how oil revenues are going to be shared--some of those issues are going to be kind of kicked down the road, that they won't settle everything about them in the document today. And that's how they'll be able to get past this date.

CHADWICK: The basic question of federalism, of autonomy of different regions--I mean, that's a constitutional question. I'm not quite sure how you defer that.

Mr. FILKINS: Well, I think what they're hoping to do--if you remember, the issue here is that the Shiite majority wants to form a nine-province region in the country that is basically autonomous. That's half the provinces in the country. I think what they're going to try to do is set up a mechanism by which you could do that but not actually enshrine the autonomous area into the constitution. So they'll say something like `There has to be a referendum in these areas and two-thirds of the votes of the National Assembly,' etc., etc. So they'll put the mechanism in place, and that'll make everybody, you know, happy enough for the moment to sign off on the thing. This is such a fractious country and there's so little agreement on so few things. That's why it's so difficult. I mean, a constitution is a reflection of consensus about a country, and there just isn't very much consensus here.

CHADWICK: You write in the paper this morning that the National Assembly might have to dissolve itself if they don't reach an agreement on a constitution. That would be a terrible outcome for them, I would think.

Mr. FILKINS: I think that would be a terrible--I mean, everybody realizes that. And it's been talked about--they were talking about it last night, they were talking about it right now, but I think it's really the last option. If they can't do anything, if everybody starts to walk away, then there's really--there isn't much choice. But I think that that would be a genuine political crisis that you would add on to every other crisis that's here and the guerrilla insurgency, and I think everybody realizes that it could really send things into a tailspin and make them worse than they are now, and I think everybody wants to avoid that--most people want to avoid it.

CHADWICK: Dexter, what role is the US playing there now?

Mr. FILKINS: They're playing a pretty substantial role. The ambassador here, Zalmay Khalilzad, who's an Afghan-American, so he's actually from this part of the world and so he actually mixes very well with the people, and they like him and they respect him quite a bit. He is actively engaged in the negotiations. He is submitting proposals to put in the constitution. He's circulated drafts of a constitution. He's trying to bring people together. And I think it's funny 'cause it depends on who you talk to, but that's generated some resentment among some Iraqis, but other Iraqis appreciate it as well and say, `Look, we need somebody here who's viewed as a neutral broker who can kind of bring people together and, you know, knock heads together when that's necessary, too.' So--but the short answer is the US is pretty deeply involved at the moment.

CHADWICK: Dexter Filkins of The New York Times in Baghdad. Dexter, thank you.

Mr. FILKINS: Thank you.

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