Today, Iraqi leaders submitted a draft constitution to Iraq's National
Assembly, thereby meeting the requirements of the Transitional
Administrative Law. The leadership of the National Assembly has
announced it will deliberate for an additional three days before voting
to approve a final draft constitution. The Iraqis will use this
three-day period to consolidate consensus with all groups and finalize
agreement on the few outstanding issues.
We welcome today's development as another step forward in Iraq's
constitutional process. The progress made over the past week has been
impressive, with consensus reached on most provisions through debate,
dialogue, and compromise. This is the essence of democracy, which is
difficult and often slow, but leads to durable agreements, brokered by
representatives that reflect the interests and values of free people.
The American people commend the spirit of cooperation that has marked
these deliberations, and look forward to seeing the constitutional draft
finalized on Thursday. The United States pledges its full support as the
Iraqis work to complete their democratic transition.
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