Rebels killed 10 people in Iraq on Friday as a crucial meeting of national leaders called to settle constitutional problems was postponed because of an emergency session of the Kurdish autonomous parliament. The two-day delay came against a backdrop of unremitting violence that has killed about 40 US troops in 10 days, and new al Qaeda warnings that the United States and Britain risked more death and destruction if they do not leave Iraq and other Muslim lands.
"The meeting of leaders was delayed from today to Sunday in order to allow (Kurdish leader Massud) Barzani to attend a meeting on Saturday of the Kurdish parliament before coming to Baghdad at the head of a delegation of Kurdish parliamentary groups," said a statement from President Jalal Talabani's office.
Talabani had called the meeting to break the deadlock on drafting a new constitution and resolving outstanding questions which constitutional committee members have so far failed to agree.
The issues include federalism, official languages, the relation between religion and state, the name of the republic, the rights of women and the question of the oil-rich centre of Kirkuk which Kurds want included in their own autonomous region.
Iraqi leaders have pledged to draft a new constitution by August 15 ahead of a referendum in mid-October, to be followed by elections in mid-December and the inauguration of a new government at the start of 2006.
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