Monday, September 25 2006 10:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: Iraq's fractious ethnic and religious parliamentary groups agreed yesterday (Sept 24, 2006) to open debate on a contentious Shiite-proposed draft legislation that will allow the creation of federal regions in Iraq, politicians from all groups said.

"The agreement came after a compromise was reached with Sunni Arabs on setting up a parliamentary committee to amend Iraq's constitution, a key demand by the minority. The constitutional committee will be set up tomorrow and the federalism bill will be read to the body a day later, "politicians said.

The deal opens the way for Iraq's Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds to move ahead politically and break a two-week political deadlock that threatened to further sour relations between the communities.

If left unresolved, the deadlock could have further Iraq's fragile democracy and led to more sectarian violence.

The head of the largest Sunni Arab group, the Iraqi Accordance Front, said the constitutional committee would be formed today (Sept 25, 2006).



"It will be formed and the day after the federalism bill will be read," Accordance Front leader Adnan al-Dulaimi told sources.

A representative from the largest Shiite coalition in the 275-member parliament, the United Iraqi Alliance, said that a committee of 27 legislators will be formed to begin the process of amending the constitution and that the draft federalism bill would be read out Tuesday.

"That was our agreement," Alliance deputy Hassan al-Shammari told sources.