Wednesday, August 10 2005 10:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: Insurgents killed at least 30 Iraqis and a US soldier as a crucial meeting of top politicians began yesterday (Aug 9, 2005) to hammer out a deal on the country's new constitution ahead of an August 15 deadline.

Although an intense sandstorm forced meetings to be cancelled on Monday and brought further delays yesterday, substantive talks were held, said Kamaran Garadaji, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.

Garadaji said that the leaders at the meeting are 'determined to reach an agreement ahead of August 15.'

Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, who had been unable to fly in from northern Iraq due to the bad weather, arrived late yesterday and was set to participate in talks today (Aug 10,2005) a Kurdish member on the constitution-drafting panel told sources.

Iraqi Government spokesman Leith Kubba said yesterdaymorning that the question of the rights of women 'much debated by the Western press,' was 'not a great problem.'

A small group Iraqi women mounted a counter demonstration

A small group of ultra-conservative Iraqi women mounted a counter demonstration to one organized by some 50 of their liberal opponents in central Baghdad yesterday over the issue of women's rights.

"We want the constitutional drafting committee to hear our voices," said Environment Minister Narmine Othman, associated with the liberal group.

"We fear that some articles (in the constitution) will be unjust for women."

Counter-demonstrator Fadia Al-Aaraji carrying a banner stating the rights of Iraqi women were guaranteed by Islam said "We are demanding that the Iraqi people's Islamic identity be respected and included in the constitution."

Other key issues holding up the constitution include the scope of federalism, with Kurds insisting on maximum autonomy for their northern region, while Shiites and Sunni Arabs are divided over whether other provinces should also get autonomy.

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad assured reporters that while the Kurds wanted autonomy, they would not be pushing for independence.

"Barzani himself has said that while the Kurds have the right to self-determination they have decided not to exercise that. The issue is not on their agenda," the Ambassador said.

The United States fears any hold-up in the political process will weaken the Government and strengthen the hand of insurgents who are seeking to destabilize the country.

Rebels killed at least 30 people

Rebels meanwhile killed at least 30 people in the latest violence to wrack the country.

Three Iraqis and a US soldier were killed and 54 others wounded, including two US soldiers, when a suicide car bomber blew himself up in central Baghdad.

The US military also announced today the death of a marine killed yesterday, taking the total of US military deaths in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 1,826, according to an source tally based on Pentagon figures.

Elsewhere at least 27 others were killed in a spate of attacks.

The group headed by Al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, the fugitive Islamist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed at least three of the attacks, most of them in Baghdad.

In Washington, a US intelligence official said analysts had 'fairly high confidence' that a cache of manufactured bombs seized in Iraq about two weeks ago was smuggled into the country from Iran by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.