Iraqi political leaders are bargaining to reach an agreement on ______. [br] [o

Political leaders in Iraq have been engaged in tough bargaining to try to reach a consensus on the final draft of the country’s new constitution. Monday is the deadline for the draft to be presented to the Iraqi parliament for a vote on whether to ratify it. And the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has said the draft should be ready by the end of today. Mike Wooldridge reports from Baghdad.
     Time is running out if the deadline is to be met. And this has brought individual political blocs closer to agreement among themselves on a number of the outstanding issues. But sources close to the discussion say the question of the actual distribution of resources, particularly the lucrative revenue from oil between the country’s regions, remains contentious at this point, and it bears on the whole issue of federalism which has been the biggest sticking point throughout this past week of negotiations. So not only this trading continue between the parties in the present government, but a broader consensus on the constitution has yet to be achieved before the document is put to parliament. The alternative is a partial deal that some say would be realistic, others futile.