A suicide bomber struck near a US convoy in Baghdad and gunmen opened fire on police patrols around the city Tuesday in attacks that killed at least 15 people.

The violence provided an unwelcome backdrop as Iraqi politicians prepared to resume talks on drafting a new constitution that had been postponed by a severe sandstorm.

The suicide bombing occurred Tuesday afternoon when a driver detonated a vehicle packed with explosives near a US convoy in downtown Baghdad, killing at least five Iraqi civilians and wounding 11, police said. No American casualties were reported.

The attack occurred in early afternoon near Tahrir Square in the heart of the city, police Capt. Abdul-Hussein Munasaf said. Five civilian cars, a US Army Humvee and an SUV were damaged. US and Iraqi authorities sealed off the area.

In three separate attacks around 8 AM, gunmen opened fire on police patrols around the city, killing nine officers. A 10th policeman was killed later Tuesday.

Political leaders were scheduled to meet for a second round of talks at Tuesday evening to break a deadlock over remaining issues on the constitution, which the parliament must approve by Aug. 15. Talks had been postponed by a severe sandstorm Monday.

The constitution also will need to be approved by voters in an Oct. 15 referendum. Passage would lead to national elections in mid-December.

A leading Sunni Arab helping write the charter warned that accepting Kurdish demands for federalism would have "grave consequences" for the nation and the issue should be left for a new parliament to be elected in December.

Saleh al-Mutlaq said the Sunni Arab bloc might formally submit a proposal to delay a decision on the contentious issue until the new parliament takes office.

"I think they will accept it because there is no alternative. We will not accept federalism in these circumstances," said al-Mutlaq, who like most Sunni Arabs fears that federalism might divide Iraq.

Sunni Arabs are expected to take a bigger role in the elections planned for Dec. 15. Many of them boycotted the Jan. 30 vote following calls by religious leaders and threats by insurgents.

Sunnis, who make 20 percent of Iraq's population, hold only 17 seats of the 275-member parliament.

The Kurds, who have enjoyed self-rule in the north since 1991, have demanded that the new constitution codify federalism to prevent a future government from curbing Kurdish autonomy.

However, al-Mutlaq said that if the Kurdish demands are met, "they will have grave consequences." He did not elaborate, but the strong language underscored the depth of passion that the issue of federalism evokes on both sides.

It was unclear whether Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and an outspoken champion of federalism, would attend Tuesday's meeting.

Barzani has been stuck in the north due to bad weather in Baghdad, unable to reach the capital. Sandstorms eased in the Baghdad area on Tuesday, but visibility was still limited.

Al-Mutlaq also called for more political groups to join the constitutional discussions. The US leadership has heavily encouraged the constitutional process, believing it will ultimately dampen the insurgency and allow for a drawdown of US troops within the next year.

In the attacks earlier Tuesday, assailants opened fire on a police patrol in the eastern New Baghdad neighborhood, killing five policemen who had fallen asleep in their car, said Lt. Col. Ahmed Aboud.

The men had spent the night on patrol and were waiting to be replaced by another patrol, he said. Their weapons were all in the backseat of their four-wheel drive, he said.

In another attack in the southern Dora neighborhood, gunmen assassinated police Capt. Haidir Mizhir Salih and another policeman as they were heading to work around 8 AM, said 1st Lt. Mohammed Hanoun.

A third drive-by shooting around the same time in the eastern Zayouna neighborhood left two officers dead and a third wounded, said Lt. Col. Fuad Assad.

Later in the day, a 10th policeman was killed and two others were wounded in a drive-by shooting in northern Shuaula, police Lt. Haider Hassan said.

In another development, the mayor of Baghdad, Alaa al-Timimi, was fired and responsibility for managing the city was transferred to the provincial governor, government spokesman Laith Kubba said Tuesday. He refused to say why the provincial council fired al-Timimi.

The mayor of a southern Shiite city gripped by riots over lack of municipal services also has resigned under pressure as demanded by the protesters, a local official said Tuesday.

The decision was taken late Monday during a visit to the Shiite city of Samawah, 230 miles southeast of Baghdad, by a delegation sent by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to try to quell the unrest, according to Sheik Mohannad al-Gharrawi.

(Chinadaily.com via agencies August 10, 2005)