FACTBOX: Iraq's benchmarks and political woes

(Reuters) - Iraq's parliament went into summer recess for a month on Monday after Iraqi leaders failed to agree on a series of laws that Washington sees as crucial to stabilising the country and reconciling warring Iraqis.

The laws aim to reconcile the ruling majority Shi'ite community with minority Sunni Arabs, who received preferential treatment under Saddam Hussein but who now form the backbone of the insurgency. Following are the benchmarks and the problems bedeviling Iraqi politics:

OIL LAW

Iraq's cabinet approved changes to a draft oil law on July 3 and sent it to parliament. But parliament has yet to begin debating the draft, which has been criticized by both Shi'ite and Sunni Arab politicians. The Kurdistan Regional Government, which forced renegotiation of the original draft, said it had not been shown the final version before cabinet signed off.

Lawmakers say the government has yet to send the draft "officially" to the parliament.

DE-BAATHIFICATION LAW

A draft law allowing some members of Saddam's Baath party to join the military or the government has been agreed by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani and sent to cabinet for debate. But it faces stiff opposition from within the ruling Shi'ite Alliance and the committee tasked with purging Baathists from government.

LAW ON PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS

Sunni Arabs are represented in government and in parliament after taking part in national elections in December 2005. But they largely boycotted provincial elections in January 2005 and are under-represented in many areas where they are numerically dominant. A law setting a date for provincial elections has yet to be agreed by the cabinet.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

After six months of talks, parliament's constitutional reform committee failed in May to reach agreement on amending key provisions of the constitution. Parliament gave it until September to make a new report on its work.

CABINET

The main Sunni Accordance Front has withdrawn its ministers from the government, giving it one week to meet a series of demands, including a greater say in security matters. Maliki has yet to install replacements for six ministers from Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's movement who quit in April over Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

THE PROGRESS REPORTS

In mid-September, the U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, will present a report on Iraq's security and political progress. Both reports could be very influential in shaping the debate in Washington about U.S. troop levels in Iraq.