Sunday, August 28 2005 17:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: Members of constitution drafting committee signed the draft constitution today (Aug 28, 2005) after some amendments, Shiite committee member Khaled al-Attiyah said.

Journalists were invited to a mid-afternoon ceremony marking the completion of the draft.

The draft now goes to the Iraqi people in an Oct. 15 referendum. Five million copies will be circulated nationwide in food allotments each Iraqi family receives monthly from the Government.

The amendments were made in hopes of appeasing the Sunni Arab minority, including removing the word 'party' from the phrase about Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and allowing the Parliament to be elected in December to decide the fate of a committee set up to purge for members.