JURIST - Paper Chase: UPDATE ~ Iraq constitution draft withdrawn, assembly adjourns, vote delayed

[JURIST] Iraqi constitutional negotiators who submitted a draft constitution to Iraq's National Assembly [JURIST report] shortly before the deadline at midnight local time Monday have withdrawn it in the face of continued Sunni opposition, and the Assembly has adjourned without voting in a bid to avoid its own dissolution in the absense of an accepted charter. A senior Sunni negotiator said some 20 issues remained unresolved. Shiite and Kurdish framers maintain, however, that full agreement might still be possible in a few days, and are hoping that time and perhaps more pressure from the United States will win over Sunnis opposed to the draft's stance on federalism, the division of powers, and other central issues. Before adjourment the parliament's speaker said that the Assembly would vote on a revised draft in three days, but it is unclear as yet whether such a vote will be politically feasible. AP has more.

6:55 PM ET - The White House has issued a statement by President Bush welcoming the submission of "a draft constitution, thereby meeting the requirements of the Transitional Administrative Law" and saying that the American people "look forward to seeing the constitutional draft finalized on Thursday." Read the full text of the statement.

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