Framers of Iraq's new constitution expect to submit a draft in time for parliament to meet an Aug. 15 deadline for approval but decisions on some key points may be deferred until a later date, the government spokesman said Sunday. Laith Kubba made the comment only hours before the 71-member drafting committee was to say whether it will need an extension to finish the document. The committee chairman, Humam Hammoudi, said there was an "80 percent chance" his group would ask for a one-month extension. The United States has been pushing the Iraqis to meet the deadline to maintain political momentum seen as crucial to defeating the insurgency and enabling U.S. and other foreign troops to begin leaving Iraq next year, The Associated Press reported.
