Iraqi leaders clinch charter deal

After weeks of intense negotiations, Shia and Kurdish leaders agreed late Tuesday to consider revisions to the charter after December elections in a bid to win the backing of the ousted Sunni elite in Saturday's referendum.

"Leaders of the political blocs reached an agreement on the constitution draft that guarantees the rights of all Iraqi people in the referendum," parliament speaker Hajim al-Hasani said.

Parliament is due to hold a ceremony to mark the accord, but while two Sunni parties have signed up to the deal, at three other political groupings said they rejected it.

Sunni-backed insurgents have already vowed to violently disrupt the vote on the constitution, a milestone in the war-ravaged political transition that has deeply divided the country on sectarian grounds.

The Sunnis have voiced strong opposition to the federal provisions of the draft, fearing it could lead to the break-up of the country and leave control of the vast oil wealth in the hands of Shias and Kurds.

But the main Sunni party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, said it would call for a "yes" vote when 15.5 million registered voters are to cast their ballots on the document two and a half years after the ouster of Saddam by US-led invasion forces.

"There was an agreement and we are calling for a 'yes' vote," spokesman Ayad Sammarai told AFP.

The United States has been engaged in efforts to bring on board the Sunnis -- who lost power after Saddam's ouster and largely boycotted the January elections -- in the hope it will weaken the insurgency and enable the departure of foreign troops.