Iraq Lawmakers Won't Meet on Constitution

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Parliament announced it had no plans to meet Thursday night and no date for a future session, signaling Iraqi factions were failing to reach agreement on a new constitution before a self-imposed midnight target.

The statement from National Assembly's top spokesman, Bishro Ibrahim, came as negotiators struggled for consensus on a draft by the close of a 72-hour extension granted Monday night by parliament, after Sunni Arabs blocked a vote on a charter accepted by Shiite and Kurdish negotiators.

Earlier Thursday, a radical Shiite cleric called on followers to end clashes with Shiite rivals, one day after his office in the holy city of Najaf was burned and four of his supporters were killed.

In calling for calm, Muqtada al-Sadr urged "all believers to spare the blood of the Muslims and to return to their homes.""
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