FACTBOX-Iraq's legislative agenda
Aug 6 (Reuters) - Following is the status of key pieces of Iraqi legislation. The United States regards many of the laws as vital to healing Iraq's sectarian divide and strengthening the country's fledgling democracy.
LAWS BEING DEBATED:
PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS - Parliament is debating a draft law that will set the framework for new local elections. The government had hoped to hold the polls Oct. 1, but delays in the law's ratification mean they are likely to take place late this year or early 2009. A key stumbling block has been the status of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. Kurds want the northern city and the surrounding province to be included in their semi-autonomous homeland of Kurdistan, but the city's Arabs and ethnic Turkmen want Kirkuk to remain under central government authority. Iraq's Electoral Commission has said it won't have time to organise polls this year unless the law is passed soon.
LAWS YET TO REACH PARLIAMENT
OIL - Seen as the most important of all legislation sought by the United States, this measure would divvy up Iraq's vast oil wealth among its ethnic and sectarian groups and lay the legal foundation for foreign investment in the sector. While the cabinet approved a draft in early 2007, it remains bogged down in disputes between the central government and the northern Kurdish region over control of reserves and the authority to sign contracts with foreign oil companies, as well as oversight of the vital oil industry. Despite the wrangling, Iraq's government in June opened its oilfields to foreign investment and is also negotiating short-term oil technical support contracts, saying the moves are in line with an old law in existence before the invasion.
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM - Parliament's constitutional reform committee failed last year to reach agreement on amending key provisions of the constitution and debate on the measure since appears to be have been shelved.
LAWS PASSED:
JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY - Parliament passed a bill in January 2008 allowing former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to regain their government and military jobs. The measure had been demanded by minority Sunni Arabs, who were dominant under Saddam. Many Baathists were sacked after Saddam was toppled in 2003. But implementation of the law has been bogged down by infighting between politicians.
AMNESTY - An amnesty law passed in February opened the way for a general release of prisoners detained in security sweeps in recent years. It was seen as a step towards reconciling disaffected Sunni Arabs with the Shi'ite-led government since most detainees were Sunni Arabs accused of involvement in an insurgency against the government. Committees of judges have met to review thousands of cases and recommended most of those inmates be freed. Some prisoners have been released, but the exact number is unclear. Iraqi courts have ordered around 20,000 prisoners be freed, an official said in June. The amnesty does not apply to inmates in U.S. military prisons or those convicted of major crimes such as murder.
PROVINCIAL POWERS - This law, also passed in February, defined relations between Baghdad and local authorities and was seen by Iraqis as laying the foundation for provincial elections. It outlines the power allocated to Iraq's 18 provinces and their governors, how provincial councils are elected and how governors take office.
(Editing by Samia Nakhoul)
LAWS BEING DEBATED:
PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS - Parliament is debating a draft law that will set the framework for new local elections. The government had hoped to hold the polls Oct. 1, but delays in the law's ratification mean they are likely to take place late this year or early 2009. A key stumbling block has been the status of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. Kurds want the northern city and the surrounding province to be included in their semi-autonomous homeland of Kurdistan, but the city's Arabs and ethnic Turkmen want Kirkuk to remain under central government authority. Iraq's Electoral Commission has said it won't have time to organise polls this year unless the law is passed soon.
LAWS YET TO REACH PARLIAMENT
OIL - Seen as the most important of all legislation sought by the United States, this measure would divvy up Iraq's vast oil wealth among its ethnic and sectarian groups and lay the legal foundation for foreign investment in the sector. While the cabinet approved a draft in early 2007, it remains bogged down in disputes between the central government and the northern Kurdish region over control of reserves and the authority to sign contracts with foreign oil companies, as well as oversight of the vital oil industry. Despite the wrangling, Iraq's government in June opened its oilfields to foreign investment and is also negotiating short-term oil technical support contracts, saying the moves are in line with an old law in existence before the invasion.
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM - Parliament's constitutional reform committee failed last year to reach agreement on amending key provisions of the constitution and debate on the measure since appears to be have been shelved.
LAWS PASSED:
JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY - Parliament passed a bill in January 2008 allowing former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to regain their government and military jobs. The measure had been demanded by minority Sunni Arabs, who were dominant under Saddam. Many Baathists were sacked after Saddam was toppled in 2003. But implementation of the law has been bogged down by infighting between politicians.
AMNESTY - An amnesty law passed in February opened the way for a general release of prisoners detained in security sweeps in recent years. It was seen as a step towards reconciling disaffected Sunni Arabs with the Shi'ite-led government since most detainees were Sunni Arabs accused of involvement in an insurgency against the government. Committees of judges have met to review thousands of cases and recommended most of those inmates be freed. Some prisoners have been released, but the exact number is unclear. Iraqi courts have ordered around 20,000 prisoners be freed, an official said in June. The amnesty does not apply to inmates in U.S. military prisons or those convicted of major crimes such as murder.
PROVINCIAL POWERS - This law, also passed in February, defined relations between Baghdad and local authorities and was seen by Iraqis as laying the foundation for provincial elections. It outlines the power allocated to Iraq's 18 provinces and their governors, how provincial councils are elected and how governors take office.
(Editing by Samia Nakhoul)
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