Iraq's sectarian and ethnic groups remained at odds yesterday over a draft constitution, despite urgent efforts by US diplomats to broker a deal.

The interim government conceded new elections might be one way forward that, or put today's midnight (20:00 GMT) deadline back for a second time.

"What happens if the constitution is not finished on the deadline they have set?" Laith Kubba, spokesman for Shi'ite Islamist Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, told a news briefing.

"They have two options: the TAL (interim constitution) can be extended for another week; or if there was no extension and they didn't hand in a draft... the National Assembly would be dissolved and the government becomes a caretaker government."

The legislature elected in January under a timetable laid down in the US-sponsored Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) last Monday voted unanimously to extend the August 15 deadline for completion of a draft constitution by a week to today.

Failure to meet the new deadline could provoke new elections and, effectively, a return to the drawing board for the entire constitutional process.

If a charter is agreed, however, a December election is due to return a parliament with full powers for a full term.

Whether a government formed from such an assembly can quell violence, avert sectarian tensions from turning into civil war and defend itself when US troops start leaving is an open question.

Meanwhile, insurgents opened fire at the motorcade of a member of Baghdad's city council, killing one of the councilman's bodyguards and seriously wounding him and three others, an official at the municipality said yesterday.

Four more years

The US Army is planning for the possibility of keeping the current number of soldiers in Iraq well over 100,000 for four more years, the Army's top general said.

In an interview on Saturday, General Peter Schoomaker said the Army is prepared for the "worst case" in terms of the required level of troops in Iraq. He said the number could be adjusted lower, if called for, by slowing the force rotation or by shortening tours for soldiers.

Schoomaker said commanders in Iraq and others will decide how many troops will be needed next year and beyond. His responsibility is to provide them, trained and equipped.

"We are now into '07-'09 in our planning," Schoomaker said, having completed work on the set of combat and support units that will be rotated into Iraq over the coming year for 12-month tours of duty.

Schoomaker's comments come amid indications from officials of US President George W. Bush's administration and from commanders in Iraq that the size of the US force may be scaled back next year if certain conditions are achieved.

Among those conditions: an Iraqi constitution must be drafted in coming days; it must be approved in a national referendum; and elections must be held for a new government under that charter.

(China Daily August 22, 2005)