LEADERS AGREE TO PRESENT CONSTITUTION ON DEADLINE

(Addustour) - Kameran Karadghi, spokesman for President Jalal Talabani, said the heads of political blocs and parties agreed on presenting the draft of the constitution on the deadline of August, 15. He added that their meetings have gone positively regarding the issues of disagreement. He mentioned that political figures outside the National Assembly took part in the meetings. They included officials from the Sunni Endowment, the National Dialogue Douncil, and the Iraqi Islamic Party, along with figures representing different currents. The participants discussed the issues of federalism, the resources distribution, and the electoral system. They did not discuss the issue of Kirkuk in detail, Karadaghi added.

(Addustour is an independent daily published by former journalist Basim

al-Sheikh.)

OIL MINISTRY TO BEGIN NEW FUEL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

(Al-Sabah) - Next Saturday, the Oil Ministry will start a new mechanism for distributing fuel to the people, while today it began distributing kerosene to Sadr city residents per the ration cards until they get special fuel cards ready. Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said the ministry will start distributing vehicle fuel following the same technique, adding that the ministry decided to allocate two filling stations to provide fuel sold at commercial prices. He added there will be 10 cisterns to distribute the kerosene to the Sadr city people where every family could get 200 liters.

(Al-Sabah is a daily independent publicly owned newspaper.)

SADR CALLS ON IRAQIS TO PROTEST

(Al-Mashriq) - The young Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Iraqis to demonstrate near the ministerial complex after the Friday prayers to ask for the improvement of essential services and security. He assured the demonstration will be a peaceful one with no signs, no pictures, and no placards. He said the demonstration will be silent to express the mourning to what is going on in the wounded Iraq.

(Al-Mashriq is published daily by Al-Mashriq Institution for Media and Cultural Investments.)

IRAQ TO REOPEN EMBASSIES IN KUWAIT, SAUDI ARABIA

(Al-Iraq al-Yoom) - The Foreign Affairs Ministry announced the reopening of Iraqi embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister Hooshiar Zeebari said Iraq will have the initiative to reopen its embassies in both states to encourage normalizing issues with the neighboring states to send their ambassadors to Baghdad. Diplomatic relations were cut between the two states and Iraq since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

(Al-Iraq al-Yoom is a weekly newspaper issued by Isra Shakir.)

IRAQI NATIONAL ACCORD BODYGUARD HEADQUARTERS RANSACKED

(Baghdad) - Iraqi Army soldiers ransacked the headquarters for the bodyguards of the Iraqi National Accord, seriously injuring one of them. Although the soldiers were told the bodyguards belonged to the Iraqi National Accord movement, they continued their aggression in frustrating ways. Their misbehavior may adversely affect the reputation of the army and violate their responsibility to safeguard the people and the civil society organizations.

(Baghdad is a daily newspaper issued by the Iraqi National Accord.)

JA'AFARI: IRAQI IN NEED OF ARAB SUMMIT AT SHARM AL-SHEIKH

(Al-Mutamar) - Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'afari assured said Iraq needs to have an exceptional Arab summit held at the Egyptian resort Sharm al-Sheikh. He said terrorism is everywhere, not only in Iraq, and added that Iraq is at the front line of confronting terrorism. Ja'afari hopes the summit might set plans into practice to eliminate terrorism after deciding the reasons behind it. He is optimistic that the summit will end with the beginning of new era of peace and stability.

(Al-Mutamar is issued daily by the Iraqi National Congress.)

SISTANI: LOOTED ITEMS NEED TO BE RETURNED TO MUSEUM

(Al-Mada) - Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani emphasized the necessity of returning the looted historical items of the Iraqi museum. He issued a declaration to prohibit the theft, possession, and selling and buying of these items. He also prohibited along drilling at historical sites in search for historical items to sell them in the local and foreign markets. He said generally, all selling of antiquities, including the Islamic ones, is prohibited.

(Al-Mada is issued daily by Al-Mada Institution for Media, Culture, and

Arts.)