C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003156

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/30/2025
TAGS: PGOV PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: BEATING BACK ANY ATTEMPT TO EXTEND CONSTITUTION
DRAFTING PERIOD


Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission David M. Satterfield for reasons

1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) In a meeting with Poloffs today, Constitutional
Committee Chairman Humam Hammudi indicated that he was
seriously considering a request to the Transitional National
Assembly for a delay of 2-4 weeks in the August 15
constitutional drafting deadline. Hammudi said he had
discussed this idea with constitutional experts provided by
the United Nations, and that he believed it would be possible
to have the delay without affecting either the October 15
referendum and December 15 elections deadlines. He said he
had proposed the idea of requesting such a delay to members
of the Presidency Council for their consideration. Hammudi
indicated that the delay would be requested in advance of the
August 1 date, as required by the Transitional Administrative
Law (TAL). In explaining the cause for delay, Hammudi
emphasized the extremist demands on federalism-related issues
now being made by Kurdish members of his committee. He
stressed the need to have the Kurdish leadership - and
especially Masud Barzani - personally engaged in order to
facilitate the necessary compromises.


2. (C) Poloffs made clear to Hammudi that formally
requesting a delay would be a mistake, and would send signals
to the world that the Iraqi political process is hitting
serious obstacles. (In response, Hammudi suggested it might
be possible to avoid requesting a delay by August 1, but to
have the Committee continue its work past August 15
nonetheless - a proposal which would raise a different set of
issues.) Tonight and tomorrow, we will make the rounds of
the Iraqi political elite to stress the need to keep up work
on the constitution through the August 15 deadline. The
Ambassador will meet with President Talabani, PM Ja'afari,
and SCIRI leader Hakim. We will also reach out to TNA
Speaker al-Hassani and Deputy Speaker Shahristani. We do not
anticipate problems in heading off the notion of a request
for an extension of the deadline at this point.


3. (C) In addition, we will be working with Talabani to
schedule a political summit of the most senior leaders on
August 4. The Ambassador will seek to ensure that Barzani
will travel to Baghdad to participate in the meeting. We
will also continue our work on all fronts to moderate the
demands of the various factions and help facilitate a
compromise by August 15.


4. (C) Comment: Another Shia member of te cnsttution
drafting committee warned us today that the committee might
seek to extend the drafting period. We have consistently
warned the committee, and Iraq's political leadership,
against this idea, and they understand how seriously we take
this. We anticipate that we can forestall any request to the
Presidency Council with the stepped up engagement outlined in
para 2 above. End Comment.


5. (U) REO HILLAH, REO BASRAH, REO KIRKUK, REO MOSUL
minimize considered.
Khalilzad