US scrambles to keep Iraq on track

President George W. Bush applauded the Iraqis' "heroic efforts" to finalise a charter and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed confidence a week's extension of the deadline would not disrupt the political calendar.

The US administration badly needed to maintain the political momentum in Iraq to counter a raging insurgency that has sent the US death toll climbing and support for the war here plummeting.

Bush said last week that a constitution "can be and should be agreed upon by August 15th," while Rice had made a mantra of stressing the Iraqis had never come up against a deadline they didn't meet.

With Shia, Kurdish and Sunni negotiators still stalemated over issues ranging from federalism to the role of Islam and forced to seek an additional seven days Monday, US officials remained relentlessly upbeat.

"I applaud the heroic efforts of Iraqi negotiators and appreciate their work to resolve remaining issues through continued negotiation and dialogue," Bush said in a statement released at his Texas ranch.

"Iraqi leaders have announced that they have made substantial progress toward a draft constitution," Bush said. "Their efforts are a tribute to democracy and an example that difficult problems can be solved peacefully."