IRAQ - Pax Americana In Iraq Is Changing - Part 4 - Federalism.

Shi'ite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders on Sept. 24 broke a two-week deadlock and agreed on a compromise which would allow the House of Representatives (parliament) to take up a Shi'ite-proposed bill on federalism providing for creation of partly self-ruling regions. Sunni Arabs have fought the bill, fearing it will splinter the country and deny them a share of Iraq's oil. But the Sunnis agreed to a legislative debate after all parties accepted a Sunni demand that a committee study a proposal to amend the constitution.

The committee was appointed on Sept. 25 and the federalism bill was read to the 275-member parliament on Sept. 26. Sunni Arabs hope to win an amendment which would make it more difficult to establish autonomous regions.

The deal opened the way for Iraq's communities to move ahead in solving an impasse which threatened to further sour relations between them. The committee is made up of 27 MPs from all ethnic, sectarian and religious parties. It has four months to propose amendments, which then would have to be approved by a majority in parliament before being put to a national referendum. Dhafer al-Ani, a lawmaker with the Sunni National Accordance Front (NAF), on Sept. 24 said: "I expect the work of the committee will last for about one year".

The bill was to be read again on Oct. 1, with any changes made by legislators. A vote would come four days after the second reading, with the bill needing a simple majority for passage. If approved, it would be implemented 18 months later, according to the deal made by the parties.

Although federalism is enshrined in the constitution approved in a referendum a year ago, the right to seek amendments to the charter was a key demand made by Sunni Arabs when they agreed to join Nuri al-Maliki's national unity government in May. The depth of enmity between Shi'ite and Sunni Arabs was evident in their disagreement over the day Ramadan was to begin. Sunni Arabs began observing the month of daytime fasting on Saturday Sept. 23, while Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatullah Ali al-Sistani, declared the start to be on Monday Sept. 25. The Shiite-led government followed Sistani's lead.